Mumbai police backtracks on blocking news channels

Mumbai police today withdrew its order issued on Thursday to all the city-based cable and multi-system operators to black out all the news channels across the city as they did not adhere to the programme code.

According to sources in the cable industry, the blackout was enforced for a couple of hours in Mumbai during the day after which the order was withdrawn.

Confirmed Ashok Mansukhani, president, MSO Alliance: “Yes, the order to block all news channels stands withdrawn now.”

“The order to ban news channels on cable platform has now been withdrawn, I am told. The news channels should be back in Mumbai soon,” says Jawahar Goel, MD, Dish TV. Dish TV is part of the Essel Group that also runs a large cable distribution firm Wire and Wireless (India) Ltd with significant subscribers in Mumbai, Delhi and other metros.

The order to block the news channels in Mumbai was issued on Thursday by the deputy commissioner (enforcement), Mumbai police. According to the order, the Mumbai police said it was authorised to block any television programmes that is likely to disturb the public tranquility.

Imposing Section 19 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, which governs all cable operators, the Mumbai police said: “The transmission of various clippings/live relay/coverage of the actions taken by the police against the terrorists in south Mumbai is causing impediment in police action...and causing several operational difficulties...”

Section 19 of the Cable TV Act empowers the authorised officers to prohibit the transmission of certain programmes that are not in conformity of the programme code and is likely to disturb public tranquility.

“This is absolutely ridiculous. We are all responsible news channels and are, in fact, helping the residents of Mumbai with updated and correct information of all the actions happening in the city. We are also showing how Mumbai is going about its business without any fear...blocking us is shameful,” Ashok Venkatramani, chief executive, Media Content and Communications Services (MCCS), which manages Star News, Star Majha and Star Ananda, told Business Standard.

What made the order look more ridiculous was the fact that it was not imposed on direct-to-home (DHT) operators with a large subscriber base in south Mumbai, the location of the terrorist action.