Risks to public order, youth radicalisation: Punjab Police urge Centre to block ‘Lawrence of Punjab’ docuseries

It reportedly points out that the series depicts the life and criminal trajectory of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and includes references to high-profile crimes such as the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and other firing incidents involving prominent personalities.

Neeraja is learnt to have also said that there is a reasonable apprehension that the docuseries is harmful to public order and has the potential to incite the commission of cognisable offences.

It formally recommends blocking it under Rule 6 of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.

‘Normalising, romanticising organised crime’

According to the police, the content features dramatised portrayals, real-life footage, and narrative elements that glorify and amplify organised crime and criminal elements.

The police have highlighted that the series has already attracted strong objections from various sections of society, and its release could attract widespread public attention and negatively influence youth by normalising or romanticising organised crime, undermining ongoing law enforcement efforts against gangsterism and disturbing public order, potentially leading to heightened tensions in Punjab.

The police have also referred to the series’ trailer URL, asking the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to block access to it.

The request draws heavily on directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court when the court took suo motu notice of jail interviews of Lawrence Bishnoi and ordered the removal or blocking of such content from YouTube and other platforms, observing that it promotes criminal activities and could influence trials and witnesses in an order dated December 21, 2023.

On January 28, 2026, the High Court reiterated directions to the Director General of Police, Punjab, to identify and immediately remove videos/posts that “tend to glorify crime and criminals” from websites and social media.

The police move also comes amid a growing political and public storm over the docuseries.

Warring PIL

Punjab Congress president and MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, a close friend of Sidhu Moosewala, who was allegedly killed by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in 2022, has already filed a PIL in the High Court and sent a legal notice to ZEE5 demanding an immediate ban, describing the series as disrespectful to the victims and glorifying a gangster.

The official trailer, released days ago, portrays Bishnoi’s journey from a law student and campus politician to a notorious gang leader, framing it against the backdrop of Punjab’s history of militancy, masculinity, political patronage, and media amplification.

Directed by Raghav Dar, the series is billed as an exploration of how criminal identities are shaped by culture and systems rather than a straightforward biopic.

Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in a high-security prison in Gujarat, remains a highly sensitive figure in Punjab. His gang has claimed responsibility for several high-profile killings, and authorities have repeatedly flagged the danger of jail-recorded interviews and social-media content that projects him as a larger-than-life anti-hero.