The Lokshahi news channel, that broadcast a story on an explicit video, purportedly of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, has gone off air for 72 hours after they received a notice from the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry, said the channel’s editor-in-chief Kamlesh Sutar.The channel went off air at 7 pm Friday. Sutar said they will fight the issue legally. The opposition parties and journalists’ associations have strongly reacted to the Centre’s move.
State Congress’s general secretary Sachin Sawant said this order shows democracy is in danger. “India ranks 161 in the press freedom index and very soon we will drop to the bottom of the list.’’Vinod Jagdale, president of the TV Journalists’ Association, called the action unjust. “The incident requires to be investigated. This is not good for the future of TV journalism.”The Mantralaya and Council Hall Reporters’ Association condemned the order and said this is a ploy to throttle the expression of free speech.Lokshahi channel ran the video on July 17 triggering a political storm in the monsoon session of the legislature. The channel also claimed it had access to 36 such videos.The opposition parties were quick to demand a thorough investigation to find out if there was exploitation of women. Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) even staged protests against Somaiya, a former MP.