By The South Asia Times report 

NEW DELHI (TSAT) - The Indian government on Friday has blocked 35 YouTube channels, two website sites  and some social media accounts of Pakistani journalists over criticism at Indian Prime Minister, its army actions in Kashmir and growing hatred against Muslims in India.

In a statement, issued from the Indian Information Ministry said they ordered to block the YouTube channels, some twitter, insagram and Facebook accounts who are criticising India.

“The YouTube accounts blocked by the Ministry had a total subscriber base of over 1 crore 20 lakh, and their videos had over 130 crore views. Additionally, two Twitter accounts, two Instagram accounts, and one Facebook account have also been blocked by the Government for being involved in spreading coordinated anti-India disinformation over the internet,” said the ministry.

“The Ministry has ordered to block these Pakistan based social media accounts and websites. Indian intelligence agencies were closely monitoring these social media accounts and websites, and flagged them to the Ministry for immediate action,” its said.

The YouTube channels which were blocked by the Indian government are, Khabar with Facts, Khabar Taiz, Global Truth, New Global Facts, Information Hub, Flash Now, Faisal Tarar Speaks, Apni Dunya TV, Haqeekat ki Dunia, Shahzad Abbas, Mera Pakistan With Shahab, Khabar With Ahmad, HR Tv, Sabee Kazmi, Such Tv Network, Saqib Speaks, Salman Haidar Official, Sajid Gondal Speaks, Maleeha Hashmey, Umar Daraz Gondal, Khoji TV, Khoji TV 2.0, Cover Point, Junaid Flix, National Studio, Informative world, DunyaOfficial, Studio360, Haqeeqat Tv News, Haqeeqat TV 786, Bol Media TV, Urdu Studio, Zaki Abbas, White News, DNow.

While they also blocked the White News, DNow, websites.

Some of these channels being run by prominent independent journalists, who were widely watching in India and had million viewers and subscribers in the South Asian country.

These channels were also reporting over the ongoing human rights violations in Indian administered Kashmir and extra-judicial killings carrying out by the Indian forces in the valley and planned campaign by extremist Hindus against the Muslim women journalists.

“The channels propagated content to encourage separatism, divide India on the lines of religion, and create animosity among the various sections of the Indian society,” the Indian ministry said.

On Jan. 13, the Human Rights Watch in its latest report said that Indian authorities intensified their crackdown on activists, journalists, and other critics of the government using politically motivated prosecutions in 2021.

In its annual report, HRW said that government under Hindu nationalist BJP leading by Prime Minister Narendra Modi clamping down on dissent and torturing them through draconian counterterrorism law, tax raids, foreign funding regulations, and charges of financial irregularities.

“Attacks against religious minorities were carried out with impunity under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Hindu nationalist government. BJP supporters engaged in mob attacks or threatened violence, while several states adopted laws and policies to target minority communities, particularly Christians, Muslims, Dalits, and Adivasis,” said HRW.

“The Indian authorities have given up any appearance of tolerating dissent and are using the machinery of the state to silence critics,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “At the same time, the BJP government has created an atmosphere in which minorities feel unsafe, at risk of assault by ruling party supporters.”

While the channels which have blocked on Friday by Indian authorties were also covered  the incidents committed by BJP/RSS extremists against the Muslims and other minorities in India.