The government has ordered two leading Malayalam news channels to suspend telecast for 48 hours over their coverage of the recent anti-CAA riots in Delhi.
The action comes over alleged violation of certain provisions of the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994, separately by the two channels.
In accordance with the orders of the ministry of broadcasting and information, Malayalam television news channels Asianet and Media One stopped telecast from 7.30pm yesterday and have to stay off-air till 7.30pm tomorrow.
As per the orders issued on March 6 by the ministry of information and broadcasting, the channels have been penalised for their telecast of news reports on the Delhi violence that violate certain provisions of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.
The ministry’s action deals with the individual coverage of the two channels on February 25. Pointing out that certain news reports on the two channels violated Rule 6(1)c and Rule 6(1)e of the Cable Television Act 2000, the ministry had separately issued individual showcause notices to the two news channels.
Condemning the ban, the ruling CPI-M and the Congress party yesterday termed the decision by the Union government undemocratic and said it should be opposed by all.
The Kerala Union of Working Journalists – the biggest trade union of the journalists in the state – also condemned this act and has called for a protest march to the General Post office today morning.
State CPI-M secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in a statement yesterday night said this is nothing but a ploy of the Centre to threaten the media for coming out with truths.
“The Centre is silent on the perpetrators of the violence and also the Delhi Police for allowing things to drift in this manner. Instead of taking action against such forces, the Centre has tried to take on the media, which exposed things. This reveals the fascist face of the Centre. This is not acceptable in a democracy,” said Balakrishnan.
Leader of the opposition and Congress veteran Ramesh Chennithala said that the Centre is taking on the media for revealing the truth of what happened in Delhi.
“Prime Minister Modi is trying to silence the media as the fascist forces now want the media to bow before them. This act of gagging the media is totally undemocratic and unacceptable,” wrote Chennithala on his Facebook page.
C L Thomas, editor-in-chief of Media One Channel said they have paid the price of reporting news exactly the way it happened.
“This is nothing but a blatant attack on the freedom of the press. The I&B ministry says that we reported against the RSS and the Delhi Police and we also reported that no charge-sheet was filed by the police against the speech of BJP leader Kapil Mishra. Even during the Emergency days, such acts never took place,” said Thomas.
The two television channels have been prohibited for transmission and retransmission of their programmes on any platform throughout the country for 48 hours.
On February 23 and the next two days, several parts of northeast Delhi had witnessed large scale violence for following clashes between pro- and anti-CAA groups. More than 50 people have lost their lives so far.
Demonstrators block a road during a protest against Mumbai police after they allegedly manhandled protesters at a sit in protest against a new citizenship law in Mumbai yesterday.
