Cable TV Broadcasts Blocked as Protests Engulf Darjeeling in West Bengal State
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and partners in the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) urge
the authorities in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, to reconsider their decision to block local news broadcasts
over cable TV in Darjeeling and its adjoining districts, after protests erupted over demands that the region be
designated as a separate state within the Indian union.
According to IFJ partners, protests in Darjeeling and its adjoining districts, which are currently designated as an
autonomous region within West Bengal state, began early in August after a decision by the Indian government to grant
full statehood to a region within the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
On August 9, in an ostensible bid to deny the demonstrations any propaganda or publicity, the West Bengal state
government ordered three local channels to stop their news broadcasts.
The IFJ and SAMSN reiterate their long standing belief that this manner of news blockade serves little purpose in
calming political turbulence, since it only fuels rumour and various other forms of information transmission that could
have more adverse consequences.
The IFJ urges the West Bengal state government to lift the ban on local news broadcasts, allow all voices to be heard
and deal with ongoing demonstrations in a spirit of democratic openness.
ENDS