Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 10 : Senior Executive Editor of Puthiyathalaimurai, V Prem Shanker, expressed concern over the channel being blacked out on the Tamil Nadu government-run Arasu Cable network, calling it a possible attack on press freedom and the foundation of democracy.
Shanker stated that the channel has been unavailable on most Arasu Cable connections across Tamil Nadu since Friday, affecting around 80 per cent of its viewership. Despite repeated appeals, no action has been taken by the cable officials.
Speaking to ANI on Thursday, he said, "The issue began since Friday for us, and that's when we kind of realised something was going wrong. We started getting calls from various parts of the districts, which said that we are not visible on certain Arasu cable connections. We did our own checks, and we figured out that in some places it was visible, in some places not. We didn't have a clear picture. We spoke to Arasu cable officials. They were checking as to what's happening, if there is a technical issue. We really trusted them that maybe there was a technical glitch. We waited Saturday and Sunday, but there was no action. By Monday, we figured out that things were really bad... We were dropped from the entire SD bouquet of Arasu cable, and we are not visible. That is around 80% of the entire Arasu cable connection across Tamil Nadu."
He added, "This was almost like a near blackout. We continued reaching out to the Arasu cable officials, and there was no proper response. We sent them an email, and there was still no response to that... There is absolutely no clarity from the Arasu cable's part as to why they have done this to us, and that's our only question. What we want to know is why this has been done, and as a representative of Puthiyathalaimurai, that's where my official ability to stress this issue stops. But beyond that, as a journalist, we are all worried that if this was an intentional attack on press freedom, then it's really an attack on the foundation of democracy itself."
Shanker also said denying people access to information undermines their right to make informed choices and threatens the very foundation of democracy.
"You're denying people the right to information, the information that gives them the ability to make an informed choice with which they can elect the right leader, and if you are going to stop that information reaching these people, then there is a serious issue, and you're trying to shake the foundation of democracy there. As a journalist, it's difficult to stand and watch. We've been raising this at whichever platform and forum we can," he said.