The government has provided the URLs of "inappropriate and objectionable" videos of the ancient Jarawa tribe to YouTube and asked it to remove those from the Internet, Union minister Jasvantsinh Bhabhor has said, replying to a written question in the Lok Sabha.
The reply of the minister was uploaded on the Lok Sabha website today.
Two MPs had sought to know whether the government had taken cognizance of media reports about the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) summoning YouTube officials for the offensive videos and whether these clips were removed from the video-sharing website.
The ministries of home affairs, information and broadcasting and information technology had initiated action in this regard by providing the URLs of the "inappropriate and objectionable" videos to YouTube, Bhabhor, the Union minister of state for tribal affairs, said.
Jarawas are an ancient tribe living on the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands. As per a survey conducted by the A&N administration, the current population of the Jarawas is only 480.
The NCST had written to the secretaries of the ministries of home affairs, external affairs, information and broadcasting, tribal affairs, as well as to the chief secretary, A&N Islands, for strict action against those who uploaded the videos and photos on YouTube, the minister said.
The A&N administration had clarified that posting or uploading pictures and videos of the tribes of the islands on social networking websites was punishable with a jail term of up to three years, he added.
The Deputy Superintendent (CID), Port Blair had registered a case under the SCs and STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2016 against unidentified persons in this regard, Bhabhor said.
According to an advisory issued on October 16, any person entering the reserved area on the islands without permission to take photos or make videos of the aboriginal tribes is liable to face the jail term and pay a fine of Rs 10,000, he added.
The Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJVS), an autonomous body, functions like a trustee of the Jarawas' interests and advises the A&N administration regarding the protection and welfare of all the aboriginal tribes, including the Jarawas.
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