A leading TV news channel that had conducted a sting operation implicating senior UP minister Mohammed Azam Khan in the Muzaffarnagar riots will have to present its representatives before the UP Assem
A leading TV news channel that had conducted a sting operation implicating senior UP minister Mohammed Azam Khan in the Muzaffarnagar riots will have to present its representatives before the UP Assembly on February 26.
Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey announced that the channel will be given a chance to present its case in the state Assembly, after a discussion on the report submitted by a committee of the House.
It may be recalled that the channel had shown a sting operation during the Muzaffarnagar riots in which it showed police officers complaining about “pressure” from the “top” in which members of a particular community were asked to be released and the name of the minister was implied in it.
The report by the House committee, however, gave the minister a clean chit and all political parties slammed the “irresponsible media” for telecasting the report.
Members cutting across political lines demanded action against the channel but the BJP questioned the credentials of the House committee and chose to stage a walkout by distancing itself from the proceedings. CM Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the media and said, “The TV is also known as an idiot box and the report has proved it. The so-called sting operation was an attempt to malign the image of the government and Mr Azam Khan. He could have faced a major attack after the report was telecast,” the CM said.
Leader of the Opposition Swami Prasad Maurya, however, said the behaviour of one channel should not be generalised and the entire media should not be blamed for the incident.
“This particular channel has indulged in personal character assassination and its report could have set the state on fire. Those responsible for the report are guilty of sedition and must be made to face punitive action. The media must also beware of such elements in future,” he added.
