by kracktivist in Advocacy, Announcements, Censorship, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law Tags: Cable television, Cable Television Networks, India, law, Law Enforcement, Regulation, South Mumbai, Television, United States

Nov1, 2012, 3.00pm

I love ‘ Fox Crime : Channel and Alfred Hitchock presents my favourite, so as I switched my television today to watch my favourite show, this is what i saw

Cursing my remote I again started surfing channels, then auto scanning channels , I switch my TV off and then on again

and here is what I got

I have a digital cable TV connnection, so while all hue and cry was going on for last few days, I was least bothered. Now after checking all technical glitches with my digital connection myself, Ii called my cable operator, and there came a robotic voice, ‘ Madam, fox channel na, haan woh police ne band karwa diya hai ( Madam, the police has blocked fox channel )?” I was like WHAT ???, Yes , madam discovery science bhi band karwar diya hai. ( They also blocked the discovery science channel ) I asked her if the Police gave them anything in writing. ‘ Kya, madam, police kya likh ke dega, ( What Madam, What police will give in writing ? ( laughingly ) ,they have blocked the channels’. WTF, was my only reaction. I treid the police phoen numbers but could never get through as usual.

How can police block channels, do they think that robbers watch criminal minds and plan their robbery and murderers will watch Alfred Hitchcock presents to hatch their perfect murders, what crap. So, if they are going on banning spree, why not Crime patrol on Sony TV, Saavdhan India on Life OK channel. Although, censorship of any kind is problematic, but here uts the typical stereotype that western channels are polluting the innocent desi minds argh.

The police had blocked channels in 2008,imposing section 19 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995, that governed the cable operators, as accoridng to the police the transmission of of various clippings, coverage of the actions take by the police against the terrorists in South Mumbai were causing impediment in the police action and operational difficulties. Section 19 of the Cable TV Act empowers the authorised officers to prohibit transmission of certain programmes that are not in conformity of the programme code and is likely to disturb the public tranquility.