DESPERATE TIMES DESPERATE MEASURES Bengal Government looks desperate Diwaskar Chettri The Govt of West Bengal with the Police Administration and the District Administration has been trying to suppress the PEOPLES AGITATION using all means possible. They have resorted to media blackout in the hills, where all the cable operators have been asked to stop their services leaving the people with blank television screens. They are desperately trying to create panic and confusion here to diffuse the movement. Darjeeling is not a war zone, not a single instance of violence has taken place. Even the High Court has denied stating the people’s movement as illegal. The questions stands How legal is the notice sent to the cable operators? The desperation of the State Government is evident in the hand written notice sent to the cable operators on a blank paper (and not a letter head) without any official stamp. With the above question another important factor is the timing of the cable shutdown. It was the very day the CPRM supporters had taken out the rally alongside GJMM supporting the statehood demand. That day saw almost 20000 to 30000 people on the streets of Darjeeling. Secondly Friday being Id a Government holiday, Saturday and Sunday being non-working days the only solution if possible will only be on Monday. That means no cable TV for more than 80 hours assuming that the service will resume on Monday morning. According to the District Administration this was called “a routine drive”. The question that arises however is if this was a routine drive why has such drives not been done in the past. Why such a move at such a time of political unrest in the hills? Furthermore it is the same administration that had been using the local cable operators and local news channels for most of their events especially the Darjeeling Tea and Tourism Festival which was jointly organised by the GTA and the Government of West Bengal. The local channels were also utilised during the repeat visits of our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for various events and inaugurations. Violation of Freedom of Speech and Expression The next and the most important point is that this move by the Administration is a direct violation of our Freedom of Speech and Expression guaranteed to us in Article 19 (1)(a) under the Fundamental Rights of the Indian Constitution. The right to freedom of opinion and expression has also been guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). According to a IV semester paper written by Surabhi Singhi of the National Law University, Jodhpur Government has no monopoly on electronic media. The Supreme Court widened the scope and extent of the right to freedom of speech and expression and held that the government has no monopoly on electronic media and a citizen has under Art. 19(1)(a) a right to telecast and broadcast to the viewers/listeners through electronic media television and radio any important event. The government can impose restrictions on such a right only on grounds specified in clause (2) of Art. 19 and not on any other ground. A citizen has fundamental right to use the best means of imparting and receiving communication and as such have an access to telecasting for the purpose.” It is clear that the Government will go to any length (legal or illegal) to subvert or diffuse the people’s movement. The local cable media blackout might just be the starting of things. From the way things are going after cable networks the social media might be the next target. Social media is proving to be a very effective and competent way of spreading news, especially few news blogs and sites.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 05:16:46 +0000
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