Skip to content Skip to navigation

Journos condemn show cause notice

The Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Mumbai Press Club, Guwahati Press Club, Brihadmumbai Union of Journalists and Delhi Union of Journalists condemn the government’s attempt to intimidate the media by issuing show-cause notices to three leading TV channels, ABP News, NDTV 24x7 and Aaj Tak, for their coverage of Yakub Memon’s hanging.

It is shameful that cable TV rules have been invoked to question the right of the media to air views or do stories that run contrary to the decisions of the government and the Supreme Court on capital punishment in general and Memon’s case in particular. We are shocked that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is party to such an assault on free speech. The action betrays an insecurity and intolerance on the part of the government. We urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and immediately withdraw the notices which had been issued in the context of Yakub’s hanging.

The government should respect the media’s responsibility to reflect diverse opinions, even on sensitive issues such as death penalty, national security and communal harmony. The fact that Yakub’s funeral went off peacefully nails the suggestion in the show cause notices that the media reports in question had stoked trouble and incited violence.

Add new comment

Random Stories

Silpi awards announced

15 Jan 2008 - 7:47am | editor
The State Directorate of Cultural Affairs has nominated noted recitationist Pranab Bora and noted violinist Minati Khaund for the Silpi Divas Award this time. The Directorate will celebrate the Silpi...

Conservation awareness campaign at Orang Park

24 Sep 2013 - 5:49pm | Dr M Firoz Ahmed
Aaranyak  has conducted a series of mass awareness campaign in the villages located in the fringe areas of Orang National Park in Darrang district of Assam  covering a cross-section of...

Assam bandh call by Bengali federation affected

17 Jun 2015 - 7:12pm | Hantigiri Narzary
The 12 hours Assam bandh called by BTAD Bengali Youth Students Federation and Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation today affected normal life in Kokrajhar, heart town of BTAD administration...

 deputy superintendent of police (Panbazar division), Ponjit Duarah

Interim bail for Akhil Gogoi

29 Apr 2014 - 11:18am | AT News
Akhil Gogoi on Tuesday got yet another relief when a lower court in Guwahati granted him interim bail on a fresh case registered against him in Panbazar police station.Hearing the petition for...

Other Contents by Author

Barring a few stray incidents polling for the first phase of panchayat election are over registering a huge turn out in 8 districts on Wednesday.The polling began at 7 in the morning and ended at 3 in the afternoon where 28,680 candidates are in the fray in eight districts. Among them, 643 have contested for the post of zilla parishad member, 2,801 for anchalik panchayat member, 3,099 for gaon panchayat president's post and 22,137.The first phase include Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Kaliabor, Nagaon Sadar, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts.
The 13th edition of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) is going to be held on January 31-February 02, 2013 with discussions among global leaders on resource-efficient growth, climate change and protection of natural resources. The three-day Summit organised by The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) is themed “The Global Challenge of Resource-Efficient Growth and Development”. Launched in 2001, TERI’s flagship event - DSDS has evolved into aglobal forum where Heads of State, Nobel Laureates, international policymakers, heads of multilateral institutions and corporate bodies, celebrities, youth and concerned citizens converge to discuss globally-relevant issues....
Normal train services remained heavily disrupted in Goalpara and Kamrup districts on Tuesday when ARSU activists blocked the roads in protest against holding of panchayat elections in Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council areas. Hundreds of ARSU activists blocked rail tracks at several places in Goalpara and Kamrup districts to protest holding of panchayat elections in villages which fall under RHAC areas. The Bongaigaon-Haibargaon Chilarai Express was stopped in Goalpara station in the morning with activists resorting to stone pelting in which the train driver was injured.  Police rushed to the spot and resorted to a mild lathicharge to disperse the protestors.  The train later...
ULFA has owned up the responsibility of the strike in oil pipeline at Makum on Tuesday. In a statement, the outfit claimed to have used PMTD technology to blow up the oil pipeline which took place on Tuesday morning. Security forces cordoned off the entire area to nab the militants for several hours.
Suspected ULFA militants exploded an oil pipeline in Tinsukia district on Tuesday.The explosion took place at 10 in the morning at Anandbag area in Digboi resulting in a huge inferno in the entire area. Security forces are arriving in the spot. Details are awited. 
Security forces claimed to have killed a hardcore ULFA militant following a heavy exchange of firing in Goalpara district on Tuesday.The encounter took place in early in the morning at Khardang near Dudhnoi bordering Meghalaya where the ULFA militant was killed to be later identified as Niyar Asom. A pistol along with a magazine and several rounds of bullets. Two army jawans have also been injured in the encounter who have been rushed to the hospital.    
The deportation of ULFA leader Anup Chetia still uncertain even after Bangladesh and India on Monday signed extradition agreements in Dhaka. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed the pact with his Bangladeshi counter part Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir after a opne hour long crucil meeting.After their meeting earlier, the two ministers announced the agreements at a joint press conference. Decks are clear for handing over fugitives incuding ULFA leader Anup Chetia who has been spending the jail for over one decade. But it is upto the Supreme Court who will hear his petition seeking political asylum. Bangladeshi Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi, Minister of State...
Dr Debo Prasad Barooah no more. The veteran thinker and educationist passes away on Monday. He was 83.The end came at 4-30 in the afternoon after the International Hospital where he was undergoing treatment for the last 70 hours. His condition deteriorated on Sunday and was kept on ventilation.Dr Barooah, a Left worker and the was former vice chancellor with Gauhati University was the main force behind the 6 year long Assam agitation for detecting and deporting the Bangladeshi immigrants. Besides, he was the pioneer thinker of regionalism in north east’s politics.Various parties, organizations and individuals condoled Dr Barooah’s death and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family. His...
Campaigning for the first phase of panchayat polls ends. Polls will tae place Wednesday. The first phase will decide the fate of altogether 28,680 candidates in eight districts. Of them, 643 candidates will contest for the post of Zilla Parishad member, 2,801 for Anchalik Panchayat member, 3,099 candidates for Gaon Panchayat president's post and 22,137 candidates filed their nominations for Gaon Panchayat membership. First phase will include Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Kaliabor, Nagaon Sadar, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts. The counting of votes would take place on February 14 and February 15.
Aaranyak’s wildlife biologist, Purnima Devi Barman who has been working continuously on conservation of Greater Adjutant Stork species has completed an international field training in a remote forest area on Cambodia on nesting monitoring and biology of Greater Adjutant Stork.  Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) , UK, offered the training to her under and provided a scholarship for it.  Ms Barman also works as a part-time Lecturer in Handique Girls’ College, Guwahati.Greater Adjutant stork is an endangered bird whose global population is less than 1000 and almost 80% of its population is distributed in Assam.Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Cambodia hosted this...