Controversy erupted after a viral clip from the reality show House Arrest, streamed on the OTT platform ULLU, led to criminal charges against the show’s host, actor Ajaz Khan, and producer Rajkumar Pandey. The footage, which drew widespread criticism on social media, showed contestants being pressured into performing sexually suggestive acts and answering vulgar questions on camera.
The clip, which quickly circulated online, features Ajaz Khan — a former Bigg Boss contestant — coercing participants, including women, into depicting intimate “sex positions” while continuing to pose explicit questions, despite clear discomfort from the contestants. The incident sparked outrage and prompted swift legal and regulatory action.
Based on a complaint filed by a Bajrang Dal activist, Mumbai’s Amboli police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Friday against Khan and Pandey. The FIR includes charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Indian Penal Code), Information Technology Act, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, citing obscene acts and the portrayal of women in a derogatory manner.
National Commission for Women Takes Action
Reacting to the uproar, the National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo motu cognisance of the incident. The commission condemned the platform for violating consent and promoting vulgarity, and summoned both Ajaz Khan and Vibhu Agarwal, the CEO of ULLU, to appear before it on May 9.
“NCW takes suo motu cognisance of obscene content on ULLU App’s show House Arrest. Viral clips show women being coerced into intimate acts on camera. NCW slams the platform for promoting vulgarity and violating consent,” the commission posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Political Outrage
The controversy also reached the political arena. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) for failing to regulate apps like ULLU and Alt Balaji, despite previously banning 18 OTT platforms for similar offenses.
“I have raised this in the standing committee that apps such as this, namely, ULLU App and Alt Balaji, have managed to escape the ban by the I&B Ministry on apps for obscene content. I am still awaiting their reply,” Chaturvedi wrote on X.
She further questioned why these two prominent platforms were excluded from the March 2024 government crackdown, which targeted OTT platforms found streaming pornographic or explicit material.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who heads the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, also expressed his concern, tagging the Ministry of I&B in a post demanding accountability. “This will not do @MIB_India. Our committee will take action on this,” he wrote.
Show Removed Amid Backlash
Following the backlash, House Arrest was swiftly removed from the ULLU app. Meanwhile, the incident has reignited debates about OTT content regulation in India, consent, and the ethical responsibilities of digital content platforms.
As investigations proceed, both Ajaz Khan and the platform’s management face growing scrutiny, with calls mounting for stricter regulation of online content and better safeguards for participants in reality programming.
Sources By Agencies
