One-day ban on NDTV India proposed for its Pathankot coverage

ISLAMABAD: An Indian inter-ministerial committee of the information and broadcasting ministry (MIB) has recommended that a leading Hindi news channel be taken off air for a day due to its coverage of the Pathankot attack.

The ministry may now ask the channel NDTV India to be taken off air for a day on November 9, according to sources, in what would be the first order against a broadcaster over its coverage of terrorist attacks.

The NDTV has taken serious exception to the action and maintained that it is examining all options in the matter. It has stated that “the order of the MIB has been received. It is shocking that NDTV has been singled out in this manner. Every channel and newspaper had similar coverage. In fact NDTV's coverage was particularly balanced. After the dark days of the emergency when the press was fettered, it is extraordinary that NDTV is being proceeded against in this manner. NDTV is examining all options in this matter.” 

According to Indian media reports, the matter pertains to the coverage of the Pathankot terror attack by the channel where the committee felt that “such crucial information” could have been readily picked by terrorist handlers and had the potential to “cause massive harm not only to the national security, but also to lives of civilians and defence personnel.”

When the operation was on in January this year, it allegedly revealed information on the ammunition stockpiled in the airbase, MIGs, fighter-planes, rocket-launchers, mortars, helicopters, fuel-tanks etc. which was likely to be used by the terrorists or their handlers to cause massive harm, the sources said.

The order adds that the news channel also gave out location of schools and residential areas.

“Such crucial information could have been readily picked by their handlers, which had the potential to cause massive harm not only to the national security, but also to lives of civilians and defence personnel,” the committee said, disagreeing with the channel’s contention that similar content was carried by newspapers. The television as an audio visual medium has a far wider and instantaneous impact, the order said.

“The IMC recommends that at least a token penalty of one day’s off-air needed to be awarded to the TV channel so that they do not get away completely for this huge indiscretion and violation of specific rule or guideline relating to national security concerns,” the I&B ministry order in this regard says.

The committee has observed that the violation stood proven beyond doubt, the order said, and added that it could even attract a penalty of taking the channel off-air for 30 days.

However, it was said that a rule in this regard had been introduced in June 2015 and this was the first such case where it was being applied to and not make the penalty harsh, it is learnt. “The ministry has issued advisories and sensitised channels regarding coverage of anti-terror operations. There have been oral warnings also. It is hoped that strategically sensitive details will not be revealed when such an operation is underway,” a senior official said, according to a report published by Indian media.

—Originally published in The News