Indian government agency for the protection of children’s rights asked Netflix Inc to immediately stop broadcasting its new drama series Bombay Begums after reviewing complaints about scenes of children using drugs.
In a letter to Netflix Thursday evening, the National Commission for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (NCPCR) asked the US streaming giant to investigate the matter and submit a report within 24 hours, or face up to it. to other measures.
The CNPCR notice referred to a tweet in which a user objected to a scene showing “minors taking cocaine”.
“The series with this type of content will not only pollute the young minds of children, and may also lead to child abuse and exploitation,” CNPCR said.
Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.
Released this week, Bombay Begums is a series about five women from different parts of society trying to make their way in the modern city of Bombay, formerly known as Bombay.
The controversy is the latest to hit video streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in India, where they have also faced complaints about promoting obscenity or violating religious feelings. Industry executives say such complaints violate freedom of speech and expression in the country.
Last year, a member of the youth wing of India’s ruling party filed a lawsuit against Netflix against scenes from the series. A decent boy showing a Hindu girl kissing a Muslim boy against the backdrop of a Hindu temple.
Amazon was recently involved in legal action over allegations that its political drama Tandav portrays the Hindu gods in a pejorative way.
Several users tweeted their objections and support for the new Netflix show on Friday, making #BombayBegums a leading trend on the microblogging site.
“If your child is tricked into drugs by scenes in which a young girl takes cocaine … You have to talk to your child, not on the show,” Twitter user Sahir said.