By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: Two months after banning mobile internet in Kashmir, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir is once again in limelight for all the wrong reasons.
The government has asked local cable TV operators in the Valley to stop broadcasting five news channels in Kashmir as the government alleges them of transmitting various programmes which has created law and order problem in the Valley in general and Srinagar in particular.
The government had earlier tried to gag media in the state, banning telecast of local cable and seizing printed copies of various local newspapers.
Gulistan TV, Munsiff TV, KBC, Insaaf TV and JKChannel are the news channels on whom a ban has been sought by the govt.
“These cable operators transmit programmes which promote hatred, ill-will, disharmony and a feeling of enmity against the sovereignty of State,” reads the order issued by District Magistrate Srinagar.
DM Srinagar issued notices through SSP Srinagar to SEN Digital Network, JK Media Network Service and Take One Media asking them to block the news channels.
“Some of the channels transmitted by the cable operators viz: KBC, Gulistan TV, Munsiff TV, JK Channel and Insaaf TV have started to telecast programmes which have potential of causing mental and physical harm to particular functionaries of Government. Besides, these programmes have caused feeling of prejudice to the maintenance of harmony and public peace,” reads the order.
“Whereas, Cable Television Network (Regulation Act, 1995) provides a mechanism to regulate the operation of television network and in order to prevent the breach of peace and to stop incitement and instigation of the public to cause mental and physical threat to particular functionaries of the Government.”
The latest move of the state government has ensued backlash by the operators of the banned channels, who claim that all satellite channels don’t come under the purview of Cable Television Networks Regulation Act 1995.
Cable Television Networks act of 1995 was meant to regulate the ‘haphazard mushrooming of cable television networks’. Due to the lack of licensing mechanism for cable operators; this resulted in large number of cable operators, broadcasting programmes without any regulation. The Act aimed at regulating content and operation of cable networks. This was due to the availability of signals from foreign television networks via satellite communication.