BJP MLC seeks ban on apps creating obscene content, calls for action on 'House Arrest' show

Maharashtra BJP MLC Chitra Wagh on Thursday called for an immediate ban on actor Ajaz Khanrsquos web series House Arrest alleging that the show promotes obscenity and poses a threat to societal valuesmdashparticularly to children reported news agency PTIWagh also appealed to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to take strict action against mobile applications that host or distribute such contentldquoAjaz Khan who calls himself an actor has created a show titled House Arrest which is nothing short of a showcase of vulgarity Clips from this showmdashstreamed on the Ullu appmdashare circulating widely on social media and they are extremely obscenerdquo Wagh said reported PTIShe expressed concern about the impact such content could have on younger viewers stating ldquoSuch programmes are easily accessible on childrenrsquos mobile phones Not only do they insult our culture but they also corrode the moral fabric of society This is a perverse attack on the minds of the next generation reported PTIWagh criticized the misuse of creative freedom to justify explicit content ldquoIn the name of freedom of expression we must not allow a free hand to obscenity House Arrest is not contentmdashit is an assault on social valuesrdquoCalling for regulatory intervention Wagh urged Minister Vaishnaw to ldquoimmediately ban all mobile applications that produce and distribute such contentrdquo adding that the show should be taken down without delay reported PTIldquoThis is not entertainmentmdashit is a threat to our futurerdquo she concluded stressing the need to protect the cultural and psychological wellbeing of society reported PTIShiv Sena UBT shuts down online food delivery firmrsquos Mumbai office over poor serviceIn a separate development the Shiv Sena UBT on Wednesday announced that an affiliated group of the party shut down the Mumbai office of a major online food delivery company citing poor customer service withholding of refunds and misleading information about listed restaurantsIn a post on X formerly Twitter Akhil Chitre head of the partyrsquos communication wing said the party is demanding transparency from the companyldquoPeople trust and place orders through the companyrsquos app but receive terrible servicerdquo Chitre said ldquoWersquove given them seven days to correct their practices If they fail to do so we will not allow their delivery operations in MumbairdquoHe alleged that if an item ordered is unavailable the company does not issue a full refund unless pressed by the customer Even then the repayment is delayed by four to seven working daysldquoFor now their office has been shut If they do not improve we will not allow their delivery agents to operaterdquo Chitre warnedHe also criticized the lack of local language support noting that the app and its customer service interface are available only in English with no Marathi option ldquoThere is no call support eithermdashonly an English chatbotrdquo he addedChitre further claimed that the app lists restaurants that either do not match their descriptions or are unhygienic roadside jointsWith inputs from PTIatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params