New Delhi: Over three decades after its release, documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan’s national award-winning film, Father, Son and Holy War (1995), has been removed from YouTube after the platform flagged it as “violent content”.

“Youtube censorship again! Father, Son and Holy War is our 1995 film which got a U/A censor certificate, two national awards and the Supreme Court of India ordered Doordarshan to screen it at prime time in the public interest. Yet, 30 years later, Youtube has decided that it is too ‘violent’. It is a documentary that records the violence caused by religious fanatics and politicians vying for power. It is an expose of violence, not an endorsement of it. Shame on Youtube!!! Remove the censors, not good sense,” Patwardhan wrote in a post on Facebook.

While the film has been removed from Patwardhan’s official YouTube channel anandverite, it is still available on another channel called Alukuchi Malukuchi.

Interestingly, Youtube’s ‘violent or graphic content policy’ makes an exception for educational, documentary, scientific and artistic content. “Violent or gory content intended to shock or disgust viewers, or content encouraging others to commit violent acts, are not allowed on YouTube. In some cases, we may make exceptions for content with educational,........

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