India asks YouTube to remove videos of IAF Pilot Abhinandan

The Indian IT Ministry has asked YouTube to take down the videos of IAF pilot who was captured yesterday by the Pakistani defense forces.

According to reports, the Indian IT ministry has reported as much as 11 links of videos related to Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The Indian pilot was captured yesterday following air combat and had descended in the Pakistani boundaries after his jet was shot down. The army man was first spotted by the villagers of that locality who later informed the concerned military officials.

Different videos of his capture by the army officials as well as those of his commute have, since, been making rounds on the social media. After being moved by the home ministry of India, the IT ministry asked the YouTube administration to remove the videos. According to the Express Tribune, which sources India-based Hindustan Times, the reported videos were subsequently taken down.

No confirmation could independently be reached from the video-sharing site. The source, however, does quote a statement from a relevant spokesperson who mentioned that YouTube does comply to “valid legal requests from authorities wherever possible, consistent with our longstanding policy and act quickly to remove such material”.

Pakistan and India had been in a tussle over the course of the past few days. The heat has seen military escalation between the two countries.

Featured Image Via The Express Tribune, News Via The Express Tribune, Hindustan Times