Indian govt removes documentary on July Uprising from YouTube citing national security

A YouTube link to a Kolkata filmmaker's documentary on Bangladesh's July uprising is currently unavailable in India, with the platform citing a government order related to "national security or public order." The film, titled 36 July: States Versus People, premiered in Bangladesh this August.

Director Soumitra Dastidar said the documentary was first shown on Bangladesh's Ekattor TV on 4 August, reports The Times of India.

"When I uploaded it to YouTube, there was a copyright issue over a song by Sayan, but that was resolved in September. The film has been available in Bangladesh since then. Friends from Bangladesh shared the link with me so I could watch it here, but when I clicked, I saw that it was blocked in India," Dastidar explained.

The film features interviews with activist Badruddin Umar, journalist Tasneem Khalil, actress Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, Tajuddin Ahmad's daughter Sharmin Ahmad, Dhaka University student leader Meghmallar Basu, and student activist Umama Fatema. Research and scriptwriting were done by Sahed Suvo, with cinematography by Lutfur Rahaman.

Dastidar said the Indian response to his work has left him disheartened. "These are strange times. In India, a film like The Bengal Files gets screened under the banner of national security, while my documentary is suppressed online. The starkly different treatment of two directors trying to re-examine history has been painful for me," he said.