Police Action at Reporter TV Draws Strong Criticism, Sparks Comparisons With Emergency-Era Media Crackdown

Thiruvananthapuram: The police action at Reporter TV's office has been described as resembling the Emergency-era crackdown on the media, with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) allegedly creating an atmosphere of fear at the channel's news desk and seizing journalists' computers and mobile phones.

The incident took place within four months of the UDF government assuming office and has been criticised as an extreme form of interference with media freedom. Critics alleged that the UDF government's crackdown on the media was being carried out with an animosity even stronger than that seen under the Sangh Parivar.

The SIT arrived at Reporter TV at around 6 am for the search. The team allegedly seized the phones of journalists and disrupted the functioning of the news desk. Critics said there was no precedent in India for police entering the news desk of a media organisation during a raid and disrupting news broadcasting. They alleged that the V D Satheesan government was using the police to suppress reports critical of it.

Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan said the police action was reminiscent of the Emergency period. He said the kind of attacks on the media seen in BJP-ruled states and Delhi, which is under the control of the central government, had now occurred in Keralam as well.

Pinarayi Vijayan said the action was similar to the proceedings against NewsClick, where its office was raided, equipment was seized and its editor was jailed.

CPI(M) MP A A Rahim described the police action as “utterly absurd” and anti-democratic. He said calling Chief Minister V D Satheesan “Hitler” would be an appropriate nickname and described the police action as unprecedented in independent India.

CPI(M) MLA V K Sanoj said the search, during which journalists were allegedly confined, could not be accepted under any circumstances.

Former minister Veena George described the police action at Reporter TV as “pure hooliganism”. She said there was no precedent in Keralam for journalists being confined while news broadcasting was disrupted.

Veena George said the Congress government's action of stopping news broadcasting and confining journalists was unjust and unacceptable under any circumstances. She demanded that it be made clear before the people of Keralam at whose direction the police action was carried out.