Media Censorship: Obscuring Autocracy and Hindutva-ideology in Indian Governance

Abstract

This article draws on a political economy approach to examine the politics of censorship that undergirds the current Indian online audio-visual sector. Through our analysis of interviews with media creators, government policies and trade press literature, we probe the implications of censorship on India’s burgeoning online production culture and we contest the Indian government’s ideological motives in spearheading the censorship process. We conclude that the current measures for regulating online content reflect the government’s ongoing agenda to curb freedom of expression and promote Hindu nationalism through policy interventions.