YouTube removes Rajdeep Sardesai’s video blog on Rhea Chakraborty

New Delhi: A video titled “Why Rhea Chakraborty Deserves an Apology” from the Straight Bat series, hosted by veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, was abruptly removed by YouTube on Tuesday. 

Sardesai, in a post on X, slammed the platform, noting that the video was taken down for allegedly “violating community guidelines” without any detailed explanation.

A Straight Bat video titled ‘why Rhea Chakraborty deserves an apology’ has been suddenly removed by @YouTube for ‘violating community guidelines’. No explanation given. Is this not plain censorship? https://t.co/6fkBvBwkzd

— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) April 1, 2025

The video revisited the intense media scrutiny faced by actor Rhea Chakraborty following the death of her boyfriend, Sushant Singh Rajput, in June 2020.

Rajput, a popular Hindi film star, was found dead in his Mumbai home, and his death sparked a firestorm of speculation and controversy. Chakraborty became the focal point of a relentless media campaign, with prime-time narratives accusing her of abetment to suicide, murder conspiracy, and even involvement in a global drug cartel. 

She was vilified with labels like “gold-digger” and “chudail” (witch), and her private WhatsApp messages were leaked”

The CBI’s closure report found no evidence of foul play in Rajput’s death, effectively clearing Chakraborty of any wrongdoing. 

The Straight Bat video argued that the media’s “vicious character assassination campaign” against Chakraborty marked a low point for news television, urging those responsible to issue a public apology to restore her dignity. 

The vblog also highlighted the lack of outrage or debate over the CBI’s findings, questioning whether the media would acknowledge its role in the ordeal.

YouTube’s content moderation practices have long been a subject of debate. 

The platform’s Community Guidelines, as outlined on its website, emphasise the “four Rs” –  Remove, Reduce, Raise, and Reward – to manage content. 

YouTube uses a combination of automated systems and human reviewers to detect and remove content that violates policies, such as hate speech, misinformation, or copyright infringement. 

However, the platform often provides limited transparency on specific takedowns, a practice that has drawn criticism in the past. 

YouTube’s terms of service allow the platform to remove content deemed to promote hate speech, violate copyrights, or otherwise breach its guidelines.