After two major Malayalam news channels — Asianet and Media One disappeared from air at 7.30 p.m on Friday, following a 48-hour ban by the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry, social media platforms erupted with condemnations against the ban.
While the Asianet management has not yet reacted to the ban, C.L. Thomas, Editor-in-Chief of Media One TV, told The Hindu that the ban was a naked assault on media freedom. He said that the channel would legally fight the ban.
“The ministry’s order accuses us of provocative coverage, which is also biased and critical of the Delhi Police and the RSS. They have interpreted our reporting of the Delhi Police’s failure in registering an FIR for hate speech against BJP leader Kapil Mishra as an attempt at creating communal disharmony. This is equivalent to putting out an order saying that independent journalism is not allowed in this country,” said Mr. Thomas.
Asianet sources said the channel had earlier given an explanation for the ministry’s showcause notice, but it was not informed before the channel was pulled off the air. It was done directly through the company which was involved in uplinking the channel’s content on air.
The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) State Committee has condemned the Central government’s move as an attempt to create an undeclared emergency. The KUWJ will be organising protests across the State on Saturday morning. Journalists organised protests in some districts as soon as the ban came into effect.
CPI(M) State Secretary and Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala also spoke against the ban.
CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said in a statement that the RSS-controlled Central government was banning media in a manner rivalling that during the emergency.
“This is a threat from the Modi government to shut down media organisations which does not report as per the wishes of the RSS. This fascist move is meant to hush up the fact that the communal riots are being engineered with State support. The government is not ready to discuss the riots even in the Parliament. A strong movement of the people has to come up against this attempt at stifling media freedom,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala exhorted all democratic minds to unitedly resist the temporary ban.
“This is an act of vengeance from a government which is angry at the facts of the Delhi riots being placed before the world. Under the BJP government, those who instigated the riots are walking free, while the media who brought the tearful images of the riots to us are being chained. This decision is unconstitutional and against the freedom of the press,” he said in a statement.
