‘Lawrence of Punjab’, a crime docuseries that was already sparking outrage has now been stopped before it could even hit your screens. And the drama is full-on political, emotional, and very personal.
Here’s what really went down behind the scenes of ‘Lawrence of Punjab’, the show that never made it to streaming.
A show that never got its premiere night
I could not stay silent while Punjab’s name was being dragged into gangster glorification.
I filed a PIL with the Honourable Punjab and Haryana High Court and wrote to PM @narendramodi ji demanding a ban on the series ‘Lawrence of Punjab’, because this is about our youth, our… pic.twitter.com/7P2fT3ezYw
— Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) April 24, 2026
The controversial docuseries ‘Lawrence of Punjab’ was all set to drop on ZEE5 on April 27. But just days before release, the plug was pulled.
During a hearing at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Centre made it clear: the show will not be streamed. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had already stepped in and instructed ZEE5 to stop the telecast.
Once the court was told that the government had already acted, it closed the case filed by Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who had moved legally to block the series.
Why everyone suddenly had a problem with this series
The show is reportedly based on jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his network. And that’s exactly where things got explosive.
Political parties across Punjab, yes, all sides, came together in rare agreement. The Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, and Shiromani Akali Dal all demanded a ban.
Their concern? That the series might glamorise gangster culture in a state already dealing with sensitive law-and-order issues.
Even the Punjab Police stepped in, writing to the Centre and asking for intervention. The fear was simple: showing the rise of a real-life gangster could influence public sentiment in the wrong way.
A personal loss turns into a public fight
For Warring, this was personal.
He openly said he would approach the court, accusing the series of glorifying crime and ignoring the pain of victims. And he made it clear why this hit home.
He referenced the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was killed in 2022 in a case linked to the Bishnoi gang.
Also Read: Congress MP explodes over ‘Lawrence of Punjab’, slams ZEE5 for glorifying gangster
“I lost my friend Sidhu Moosewala… his death was a loss for every Punjabi,” Warring said, calling the series insensitive.
He argued that the show risked turning a criminal figure into a larger-than-life character while completely ignoring the human cost of gang violence.
In his words, this was “a slap on every Punjabi.”
He also pointed out that many families in Punjab are still dealing with the fallout of crimes linked to such networks. For them, this is trauma.
The bigger picture
The title ‘Lawrence of Punjab’ itself raised eyebrows. Many saw it as a play on Lawrence of Arabia, which only added to concerns about romanticising the story.
The series reportedly traces Bishnoi’s rise and his growing influence. He had already grabbed national attention after having link to threats against Bollywood actor Salman Khan, tied to the 1990s blackbuck poaching case.
But critics argued that telling this story without sensitivity could send the wrong message especially to younger audiences.
Warring summed it up bluntly: Punjab’s identity should be about its heroes; freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, soldiers, and farmers, not gangsters.
“Never a gangster,” he stressed.