New Delhi: The information and broadcast ministry on Thursday blocked 8 YouTube news channels from public access including one from Pakistan for allegedly peddling Anti-India content.

The decision came after a scrutiny done by I&B ministry officials of the content being broadcasted on the said channels revealed it to be ‘fake’ as well as a threat to the sovereignty of the country. The channels blocked have a combine viewership of 85 lakh 73 thousand subscribers along with over 114 crore views, ANI reported.

As per officials, the channels blocked from India were Loktantra TV with over 12 lakh subscribers and 23 million views, U&V TV with over 10 lakh subscribers and 14 million views, AM Razvi with over 95 thousand subscribers and 1 million views, Gauravshali Pawan Mithilanchal with over 7 Lakh subscribers and 15 million views, SeeTop6TH with over 33 Lakh subscribers and 24 million views, Sarkari Update with over 80 thousand subscribers and 70 lakh views and Sab Kuch Dekho with over 19 lakh subscribers and 32 million views.

The Pakistani channel banned for the same was named News ki Dunya having 97 thousand subscribers and over 61 lakh views.

The ban was imposed following the newly added section 69A of the IT Act. It empowers the Centre to issue directions to any government agency or an intermediary to block content in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to such matters.

The I&B ministry so far in the last two years have in total banned 86 channels and their social media accounts for similar violations. As per the data, the ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has also blocked 560 YouTube URLs during the years 2021 and 2022.