Skip to main content

BJP government closes down Daily Desher Katha, Editors Guild terms "draconian step"!


NEW DELHI: The BJP government in Tripura has used a technicality to shut down the pro-Left Bengali daily Daily Desher Katha, evoking a strong reaction from the media. The Editors Guild described the decision as a draconian step to restrict the freedom of the media, and urged the state government to revoke the decision.

CPI(M) leader and founder of Daily Desher Katha Gautam Das said it was “a political move.”

The registration of the daily was cancelled by the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) on the grounds that there had been an “unauthorised change of ownership.” The RNI letter to Daily Desher Katha maintained that its registration was cancelled on the basis of a report from the sub-divisional magistrate regarding an alleged violation of the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867.
The daily has the second largest circulation in Tripura, and is run by the principal opposition party in the northeastern state, the CPI(M).

The Editors Guild, taking strong exception to the move, stated that to cancel the registration of a publication on the mere finding that there was “a mismatch between the information of the editor, printer and publisher, was not only a gross overreaction but also a draconian step that restricts freedom of the media.” It further demanded “immediate revocation of the order on the cancellation of the registration of Daily Desher Katha, pending further inquiry into the charges of misinformation. It also demands that a thorough inquiry is instituted by the government to investigate whether the decision was politically motivated.”

This step by the BJP government has rung alarm bells across the media, given that a technical pretext has been used by the government to shut down a daily of some 40 years' standing, on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti. In an environment where the independent media is feeling threatened, this action has provoked senior editors to share their concerns through their statement on this specific issue.

Earlier a local, one Shyamal Debnath, lodged a complaint with the district magistrate of West Tripura, alleging that the newspaper had violated the 1867 Act. The DM told the local media that after receiving the complaint, his office sent notices to both parties and conducted four hearings, which uncovered “gross violations.”
The newspaper termed the ban “illegal” and said that it had been carried out under political instructions.

Political rivalries exist in every state, and political parties have long been running and funding newspapers and television channels. Shutting down a newspaper is serious action by a government and a direct infringement of press freedom. This is the first such instance in any state in recent years, with direct government intervention on the basis of a complaint on a technical issue resulting in a ban.
(Courtesy: The Citizen)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fourteen Journalists assaulted while covering anti-CAA protests till date! Here is the list

Amidst the on-going nationwide protest against CAA-NRC several journalist were attacked, intimidated and harassed by the police when they were doing the ground reporting. Ironically most of them come from the minority Muslim community. It shows the bias against the certain community from the state machinery. Several other photo and video journalists were also harassed in these protests by the mobs and protesters.  Here is the current list of the attacked journalists (11/12/19 - 21/12/19):

ओडिशा: रेत माफिया के खिलाफ लिखने पर पत्रकार के ऊपर जानलेवा हमला

ओडिशा के बालासोर में एक उडि़या दैनिक के पत्रकार के ऊपर बुधवार की रात कुछ लोगों ने हमला कर के उन्‍हें बुरी तरह से जख्‍मी कर दिया, जब वे अपने घर से दफ्तर लौट रहे थे। पत्रकार ने हमलावरों की पहचान रेत माफिया के रूप में की है।   उडि़या के प्रतिष्ठित दैनिक समाज के पत्रकार  प्रताप पात्रा  के ऊपर बुधवार की रात नौ बजे धारदार हथियारों से हमला किया गया। उनके सिर, छाती और हाथ पर हमला किया गया लेकिन हेलमेट पहने होने के कारण उनकी जान बच गई, हालांकि हमले में हेलमेट टूट गया और सिर फट गया। हमलावर उनका मोबाइल फोन और सोने की चेन लेकर भाग गए। प्रताप ने कुछ दिन पहले बालासोर के रेत माफिया पर स्‍टोरी की थी। पुलिस के मुताबिक पिछले कुछ दिनों से उन्‍हें धमकियां भी मिल रही थीं। प्रताप ने बाद में स्‍थानीय प्रेस को बताया कि वे हमलावरों को पहचानते हैं और उन्‍होंने उनके नाम की सूची पुलिस को सौंप दी। इस मामले में पुलिस ने कोई एफआइआर अब तक दर्ज नहीं की है लेकिन जांच जारी है।

"Republic In Peril": Summary report of attacks on Journalists in Delhi post CAA

The Committee Against Assault on Journalists (CAAJ) releases a report titled "Republic In Peril" on recent cases of Assaults on Journalists in Delhi covering three months from December 2019 to February 2020. This report documents a total of 32 cases of various types of Assaults on Journalists covering socio-political developments in the capital city of India after the eruption of anti-CAA protests. The report outlines three phases of assault in Delhi. First in December, 2019 that started after anti-CAA protests erupted with centrestage being Jamia Millia Islamia University. A total of seven cases have been documented where Journalists who went to cover Jamia were assaulted physically. These assaulted journalists included mainstream news channels, agency, international media BBC and digital platforms. The assaulters included mob and police. This first phase lasted for five days from December 15 to December 20, 2019 although assaults continued nationwide for ...