Protests in India: Modi Govt Sends Gag Order to TV Channels
The government order sent to the TV channels to show only that content that Modi government likes is another indication that India has become a one-party dictatorship state ruled by PM Modi.
By Rakesh Raman
As the protests against the anti-Muslim citizenship laws are spreading like wildfire in India, the authoritarian government headed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has sent a prohibitory order to the TV channels in the country.
The new order issued by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, urges the TV channels that they should not show any content that instigates violence or promotes anti-national attitudes. The order also advises the TV networks not to show any content that affects the integrity of the nation.
However, the Modi government which is known for its attacks on press freedom could not explain the parameters of “anti-national” content. During the past 5 years of Modi regime, it is seen that the government labels all democratic dissent as “anti-national.” People who raise their voice against the dictatorial decisions of the government are jailed or prosecuted while the Indian judiciary is tightly under the control of the government.
As protests are taking place across the country against the anti-people policies of the Modi government, the government-backed security forces are using force against the peaceful protesters.
The government has also imposed many restrictions in most parts of the country including India’s capital New Delhi. The restrictions include shutdown of Internet and mobile services, termination of local train services, arrests of protesters, and the imposition of Section 144 that prohibits assembly of four or more people in an area.
Advisory is issued by Ministry of I&B for ensuring strict compliance to specific programmes codes under cable TV (Regulation) Act, 1995. It is reiterated that all TV channels may abstain from showing any content which is likely to instigate violence pic.twitter.com/HJ1XIzFdaH
— Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) December 20, 2019
As the ongoing protests are happening in India against a new discriminatory citizenship law called Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA 2019, police – particularly in New Delhi – have beaten the protesters mercilessly.
It is said that nearly 200 university students who were protesting on December 15 in Delhi have been admitted to hospital with serious injuries including bullet wounds inflicted by Delhi Police which entered the university without permission to brutalize unarmed students. The incident is being compared to China’s brutality on students at Tiananmen Square.
Now, the government order sent to the TV channels to show only that content that Modi government likes is another indication that India has become a one-party dictatorship state ruled by PM Modi who behaves like a monarch.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications on different subjects.
Photo courtesy: CPI(M)
