Jag Mohan Thaken
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police, on April 24, 2026 afternoon, heaved a sigh of relief, when it received the information of banning the Web Series- “Lawrence of Punjab”, by the centre. DGP Punjab Police on his X@DGPPunjabPolice wrote, “Punjab Police is committed to maintaining peace, public order, and social harmony in the State. The Spl. DGP Cyber Crime took up the matter with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MoIB) on 22.04.2026, seeking a restraint on the screening of “Lawrence of Punjab” under section 69 of the Information Technology Act.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB) has issued an Advisory to the ZEE5 directing them not to release the content on its OTT platform.
We thank the MoIB, Government of India for its prompt intervention and support in ensuring responsible content dissemination and safeguarding the social fabric of the State.”
Congress leader, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on his X platform @RajaBrar_INC also informed that “I could not stay silent while Punjab’s name was being dragged into gangster glorification.
I filed a PIL with the Honourable Punjab and Haryana High Court and wrote to PM @narendramodiji demanding a ban on the series ‘Lawrence of Punjab’, because this is about our youth, our identity, and the soul of Punjab. The release of this content has now been stopped. Punjab is not a gangster culture. Punjab is about courage, hard work and self respect.
Why did the release of the web series- “Lawrence of Punjab”, on ZEE5, scheduled for April 27, alarm the Punjab Police? Why had the state police formally sought a ban on the upcoming OTT documentary series? What concerned the state watch dogs?
In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Punjab Special DGP (Cyber Crime) V. Neeraja, citing serious concerns over its potential to glorify crime and disturb public order in the state, had urged the Centre to block the release of the series on ZEE5, scheduled for April 27. Requesting to direct the ZEE5 not to air the documentary, through this letter the Punjab Police had urged the centre to invoke Section-69A (1) of the Information Technology Act ,2000, which empowers the government to block the content in the interest of sovereignty and, security, and public order. Authorities feared that the dramatized content and real-life footage could glamorize organised crime.
The letter dated April 22, 2026, states, “The documentary portrays the life and criminal trajectory of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and includes references to high-profile crimes, including the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.”
Stating that the gangster-related content is particularly sensitive in Punjab and could lead to heightened tension, Punjab police had highlighted the various risks, including triggering law and order issues, the possibility of influencing and misleading the youth, also undermining ongoing law enforcement efforts.
Quoting the previous directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the State police had also mentioned that the court had taken a strict view on content promoting criminal activities emphasizing that such content could impact trials and influence witnesses.
Major opposition party, Congress, had also supported the Punjab Police concern. On April 23, in a statement released to the media, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi drawing his urgent attention to the web series planned to be aired by an OTT platform named ‘Lawrence of Punjab’, based on the life of the dreaded and notorious criminal/gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Warring wrote to the Prime Minister that the movie/series aims to glorify someone who has been involved in so many gruesome crimes, including the brutal murder of the most popular Punjabi singer, Sidhu Moosewala.
“We in Punjab have strong objections to this series for many reasons”, he said, adding, “one, Punjab is the holy land of Gurus, Rishi and Pirs. You have yourself spent a lot of time in Punjab. You know Punjab’s history and culture as much”. “Should such a holy land with a glorious history and culture be identified with a gangster?” he asked.
Second, Warring added, glorifying crime and the gangster culture can leave a dangerous and disastrous impact on the impressionable young minds, which might well get drawn towards crime. “Instead of discouraging crime and gangster culture, which we all should aspire for, the web series will glorify it”, he warned.
Asserting that Punjab does not need any introduction, he said, identifying Punjab with a criminal and a gangster like Lawrence Bishnoi is an insult to Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiyat.
“We must nip the evil in the bud and we seek your personal intervention to ban the series from getting aired”, he noted while urging the Prime Minister “to kindly issue directions to the ministries of Information and Broadcasting and the Information Technology to ban the release of the web series”.
A timely step of banning the web series by the centre has showered a cool water to the heat waves. (IPA Service)
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