Tags:
Journalism of Courage
As the violence over the Amarnath land controversy rages, the city administration on Sunday blacked out two local TV news channels and sealed offices of two Hindi dailies.
The move sparked instantaneous protest as a large number of people defied the curfew and staged a demonstration here prompting police to resort to cane-charge and burst teargas shells to scatter them.
Senior Aaj Tak correspondent Ashwini Kumar and NDTV cameraman Darshan were injured in the police action which took place outside the offices of the two channels — Takel and JK, journalists said.
Both were hospitalised, they added.
Army was called out in Gandhi Nagar area, where a protest rally was also held, to restore calm.
“The two local news channels were forcibly closed down by the authorities,” Manu Shrivatas, president of the Press Club of Jammu, told reporters.
“Siege was also laid at offices of Amar Ujala and Daink Jagran, the two Hindi dailies,” he said.
No Government official could be reached for comments on the blackout of the TV channels and sealing of offices of the dailies where a heavy posse of policemen was stationed.
