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DELHI: While the TV5 news channel has been asked by the Information and Broadcasting
Ministry to carry a scroll apologizings for a report on Madrasas, two channels
– Asianet and Indiavision - have been warned against carrying visuals of
a horrifying nature after they showed visuals of a nun who had committed suicide
by hanging herself on a ceiling fan. The
TV5 channel has been asked to carry the scroll: "Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting warned TV5 channel for telecast of a news item based on Madrasas
located in Hyderabad, which was found violative of Programme Code. TV5 apologises
for the said violation." The
scroll is to be carried in legible large font and at normal speed round-the-clock
for three days from noon 3 July to noon 6 July. A recording of the scroll has
to be submitted to the Ministry in VCD format. The channel has been asked not
to telecast/re-telecast, the news item first telecast on 26 August last year and
allegedly portrayed the Madrasas as ‘terrorist dens’.
The
channel has been asked to ensure strict compliance to the Programme Code and told
that "any further violation may entail stringent action including suspension
or prohibition of broadcast for which this may be taken as a strict warning."
The warning
has been given under Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation)
Act 1995 and under provisions of the Uplinking Guidelines. The
Committee said the channel had violated Rule 6(1)(c), (d), (e), and (i) of the
Programme Code. The
warnings to Asianet and Indiavision follows suo-motu directions of the Kerala
High Court asking the Ministry to take action in tne matter. The
two channels had carried reports regarding the act of suicide by Sister Josephine,
a nun in the D M Convent, Pongumoodu in Thiruvanthapuram on 11 February this year.
It
had been alleged before the Court that such scenes were horriying and may lead
children to re-enact such acts, apart from encouraging those suffering from ailments
to think of death as the easy way out.
While
the face of the nun was not shown, the body hanging from a
ceiling fan could have adverse impact on children and other
impressionable persons, the Ministry felt while issuing the
advisories to the channels under Section 20 of the Cable Television
Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.
Also
Read:
I&B
warns TV channels for violation of programme code
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