Two news channels banned for covering Delhi violence, resume broadcasting

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Two news channels banned for covering Delhi violence, resume broadcasting
Two news channels banned for covering Delhi violence, resume broadcasting

New Delhi : Two Malyalam news channels - Asianet News and MediaOne TV - were handed a 48-hour ban for reporting Delhi violence against the controversial CAA last week.

The two news channels were taken off air at 7:30 pm on Friday.

While Asianet was back on air at 1:30 am on Saturday, the broadcasting of MediaOne TV resumed this morning.

In an order issued late on Friday evening, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said Asianet News and MediaOne TV had violated provisions of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, by broadcasting reports on February 25 that "highlighted the attack on places of worship and siding towards a particular community".

According to the ministry, Asianet tagged attacks as 'communal violence' and the anchor allegedly said that "the centre gave silent consent for the violence".

It added that it had examined a copy of the telecast, which included comments like "...commuters on the road are forced to chant Jai Shri Ram... Muslims are brutally attacked... (and) centre can control the violence within hours, but no action has been taken".

The notification against MediaOne TV focused on a phone-in of a Delhi-based correspondent who claimed vandals had attacked anti-CAA protesters at northeast Delhi's Chand Bagh, one of the worst-hit areas. According to the ministry the MediaOne reporters also said "Delhi Police remained inactive... vandalised shops and fruit carts and set them ablaze".

Both the channels have submitted a detailed response to the notification.

However, the ban has been criticized by the Opposition party leaders.

In a tweet, senior Congress Leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor asked: "How on earth can Malayalam channels inflame communal passions in Delhi?"

Another senior Congress leader P Chidambaram this morning tweeted: "Shut down order against two TV channels is an unconstitutional interference with the freedom of the Press."