Key Points:

A NEW INFORMAL GROUP has been formed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to examine Over-the-Top (OTT) content. The group will check the content and then propose measures that need to be taken to address what it calls “cultural pollution” on streaming platforms. As per Indian Express sources, the group was formed a few months ago and held its first meeting last month. The group will submit its recommendations to the Union Ministry of Culture and other government stakeholders.

The panel of this newly formed group includes RSS pracharaks (promoters) who have been engaged in the fields of education and culture, along with former vice-chancellors. The sources further said that there is no fixed deadline for when the recommendations need to be submitted, and meetings are also being conducted with people from the legal field before a formal proposal is submitted.

See Also: “Bollywood Stars Are Scared of Modi”: Mehdi Hasan and Sreenivasan Jain Weigh In on How Bollywood Stars Have Been “Brought to Heel” Under the Modi Government

Why Was The RSS Panel Formed To Examine OTT Content?

The group was created after the RSS received feedback from Kutumb Prabodhan, which is a social and cultural initiative of the Sangh. The initiative aims to revive traditional family bonds, revive family values of the past and promote harmony in inter-generational relationships. The Indian Express source said that Sangh functionaries view OTT platforms as a source of moral corruption.

The RSS source speaking to Express said, “This is an informal group and a proposal will be made which will ultimately be submitted to the Union Ministry of Culture and other stakeholders in the central government to deal with the dirt coming out on OTT platforms.” The source added, “We need something like a censor board to deal with this cultural pollution affecting our families and the young generation in particular.”

This panel was formed nearly two years after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat made a statement related to OTT platforms during his annual Vijayadashami address in Nagpur in 2024. In the address, Bhagwat said that the content on OTT is “disgusting” and that talking about that content is indecent. He further added, “there is a need to regulate it through law because it is also one of the big reasons for moral corruption.” He also blamed OTT for the “perversion in society.”

See Also: Salman Rushdie’s Comments on PM Modi and RSS Turn Heads as Netizens Cite His 2022 Murder Attack

The new group by the RSS also comes at a time when the debate surrounding the regulation of OTT content in India is ongoing. This is because OTT platforms do not follow the traditional Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) pre-certification process under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, but are governed by the Information Technology Rules of 2021. These rules rely on self-classification based on age groups and a three-tier system of grievance redressal. However, after controversies regarding explicit content being shown on these platforms, the debate over OTT regulation has continued.

Government Action Against OTT Platforms Over Obscene Content

OTT content in India does not go through an equivalent pre-certification process, because of which a gap in the regulatory framework has been created. The government has, however, already started taking action against OTT platforms over alleged violations under existing laws. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said in July 2026 that the government had disabled a total of 50 OTT platforms, making them inaccessible to Indians over two years, for displaying obscene content.

The government said these OTT platforms had violated the IT Act by displaying obscene, vulgar, and sexually explicit content. These platforms violated provisions of Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986. It also noted that Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act empowers the government to direct intermediaries to remove or disable access to unlawful content.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

Suggested Reading: