A Kolkata filmmaker’s documentary on Bangladesh’s July uprising has been blocked on YouTube in India following a government order citing “national security or public order.”

The film, 36 July: States Versus People, directed by Soumitra Dastidar, premiered in Bangladesh this August and was first aired on Ekattor TV on August 4, according to a report by The Times of India.

Dastidar said the documentary faced an initial copyright issue over a song by singer Sayan, but the dispute was resolved in September. “The film has been available in Bangladesh since then. Friends shared the YouTube link with me, but when I tried to watch it in India, it showed as blocked,” he explained.

The documentary features voices from Bangladesh’s political and cultural landscape, including activist Badruddin Umar, journalist Tasneem Khalil, actress Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, Sharmin Ahmad — daughter of former Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad — Dhaka University student leader Meghmallar Basu, and student activist Umama Fatema. Research and scripting were led by Sahed Suvo, with cinematography by Lutfur Rahaman.

Reacting to the restriction, Dastidar said he felt disheartened. “These are strange times. In India, a film like The Bengal Files gets screened under the banner of national security, while my documentary is suppressed online. The starkly different treatment of two directors trying to re-examine history has been painful for me,” he said.

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