The Government of India has ordered the blocking of the popular YouTube news channel ‘4PM News’, citing reasons related to national security and public order. As of March 12, viewers in India are unable to access the channel’s content, seeing instead a notification that the channel has been withheld following a government request.

Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Sharma revealed that he received an email from YouTube stating the action was taken under instructions from the Indian government. However, no specific reason or detailed explanation regarding the offending content was provided in the notice. Sharma suspects that a recent interview with an Iranian professor, where he questioned India’s diplomatic stance towards Iran, might have triggered the ban.

This is not the first instance of legal action against the channel. Sharma pointed out that his platform was previously suspended during the Uttar Pradesh elections and after he raised questions regarding security lapses during the Pahalgam terror attack. While Sharma alleges political vendetta for his critical reporting, government sources maintain that such measures are essential to curb coordinated disinformation that poses a threat to the state’s integrity. The channel remains accessible to audiences outside India.