New Delhi: A host of media associations today urged the Modi government to immediately revoke the order of banning NDTV India for a day on November 9 as it amounts to uncalled censorship and gagging the voice of media.
At a protest meeting representing various media organizations on Monday resolves that the decision of the Inter-Ministerial Committee of the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry, to take NDTV India off the air for a day is arbitrary and violates the fundamental principles of freedom of expression as enshrined in our Constitution.
The media organizations including Press Club of India, Editors’ Guild, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Federation of Press Clubs, Delhi Union of Journalists, NBSA, IJU and Press Association said the order amounts to uncalled for censorship and is in utter disregard of already established redress mechanisms – Press Council of India and National Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), which have been specifically constituted to look into such issues, including if any.
They said it is unfortunate and condemnable that the Central Government has resorted to extreme measures when press freedom is already under increasing threat in the country. This sends a dangerous signal to the entire media and undermines the safeguards under the democratic right of free of expression enshrined in the Indian Constitution.