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‘Insult to Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiyat’: MP Raja Warring writes to PM Modi demanding ban on ‘Lawrence of Punjab’
‘Lawrence of Punjab’, scheduled to premiere on ZEE5 on April 27, examines the criminal trajectory of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in a high-security prison.
Calls have been growing for a ban on the ZEE5 docu-series ‘Lawrence of Punjab’, which focuses on the life of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. (File Photo)
In yet another development in the growing controversy surrounding the upcoming ZEE5 docu-series ‘Lawrence of Punjab’, Congress MP from Ludhiana Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally intervene and impose an immediate ban on the web series, terming it a dangerous glorification of crime and gangster culture.
In an official letter dated April 23, Warring, who is also the Punjab Congress president, highlighted that the series focuses on the life of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. He described Bishnoi as a “dreaded and notorious criminal/gangster” involved in “so many gruesome crimes, including the brutal murder of the most popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.”
“We in Punjab have strong objections to this series for many reasons. One, Punjab is a holy land of Gurus, Rishi and Pirs… Should such a holy land with a glorious history and culture be identified with a gangster? That is what the OTT series wants to project,” he said.
Warring further warned of the show’s potential harmful impact. “Moreover, glorifying crime and the gangster culture can leave a dangerous and disastrous impact on the impressionable young minds, which might well get drawn towards crime. Instead of discouraging crime and gangster culture, which we all should aspire for, the web series will glorify it… Identifying Punjab with a criminal and a gangster like Lawrence Bishnoi is an insult to Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiyat. We must nip the evil in the bud,” he said.
The MP requested PM Modi to issue directions to the ministries of information and broadcasting and information technology to ban the release of the web series. The letter has been copied to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The letter comes on the heels of the Punjab Police’s Cyber Crime wing, under Special DGP V Neeraja, formally requesting the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on April 22 to block the series and its trailer under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The police had cited risks of public disorder, youth radicalisation, and interference with law enforcement efforts against organised crime, while referencing multiple Punjab and Haryana High Court orders against content glorifying Bishnoi.
Warring, a close friend of the late Sidhu Moose Wala, had already taken legal action earlier by filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and issuing a legal notice to the OTT platform demanding an immediate ban, calling the series disrespectful to victims of gangster violence.
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‘Lawrence of Punjab’ is scheduled to premiere on ZEE5 on April 27. The series examines the criminal trajectory of Lawrence Bishnoi—currently lodged in a high-security prison—and includes references to major incidents such as the Moose Wala murder. Critics argue that its dramatised narrative, real-life footage, and overall portrayal risk romanticising organised crime in a state already battling gangsterism.
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