Punjab Police have formally petitioned the ministry of information and broadcasting to block the documentary series, Lawrence of Punjab, scheduled for an April 27 premiere on ZEE5.
In an official communication, special director general of police (cyber crime) V Neeraja invoked Section 69A(1) of the Information Technology Act, urging the ministry to halt the stream and remove the trailer globally.
Though the ministry has yet to issue a formal response to the request, police officials argue that the series, which explores the life of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, risks romanticising organised crime and normalising violence through dramatised portrayals of high-profile incidents, such as the murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022.
The police warned that the audio-visual nature of OTT content has a pervasive reach that could influence impressionable youth, derail ongoing trials, and disturb public order in the state.
Seeking a ban, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing the series as a “slap” for all Punjabis. Warring, who also recently filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana high court, argued that identifying the state’s heritage with a criminal figure is an “insult to Punjab, Punjabi, and Punjabiyat.”
He said the state should be defined by the sacrifices of icons like Bhagat Singh and its farmers, not by “gangster culture.”
The Congress leader warned that the series acts as a dangerous instigation rather than entertainment, potentially drawing youth toward a world of crime.
In response to the outcry, Zee5 and Riverland Entertainment have defended the project as a sociological study directed by Raghav Dar.
Kaveri Das, the business head for Hindi at Zee5, said that the docuseries is “not about glorifying individuals” but aims to examine the “ecosystem” where student politics and media amplification intersect to shape digital syndicates.
Despite these assurances that the narrative focuses on consequences and systemic failures, Warring said that screening the journey of a man who belongs to Rajasthan would send the wrong signal to the next generation, insisting that the “identity of Punjab” must be protected from the media-led glorification of violence.
