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Updated: May 26, 2016 00:28 IST

An Uttarakhand news channel that stung chief minister Harish Rawat in a secret video went off air on Tuesday night, hours after Rawat appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi. The sudden disappearance of the channel on the local cable network created ripples on social media.

Umesh Kumar, editor of the channel, on Wednesday declared a “state of emergency in Uttarakhand” on Facebook. Soon, Facebook users were debating whether the blackout was an ‘act of vendetta’ for conducting a sting on Rawat.

Read:Uttarakhand rebels release sting of CM Rawat ‘bribing’ MLAs for support

But the ruling Congress denied the government’s involvement in the blackout.

Meanwhile, Harak Singh Rawat, the rebel Congress leader who has now joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), burnt an effigy of the chief minister and accused him of muzzling the independent voice.

Surendra Kumar, spokesperson for CM, said frustrated BJP leaders were targeting the government for ‘no reason’. “The government has not banned any channel. We honour the independence of media but it has to be ensured that media forum is not misused,” he said. However, the channel came back in some cable networks by noon.

Umesh claimed the channel is still off air in Congress strongholds. He said, “I will not bow to the pressure tactics of the government.”