NEW DELHI: The Press Council of India has started its enquiry into the complaints relating to senior Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan's whipping statement on bureaucracy by asking the editors of the newspapers to explain their side of the story.

Azam Khan had allegedly said in a meeting in Samajwadi Party office at Lucknow on 30 January 2013 that the officers understand only the language of whipping, but the next day his official statement came that such media reports were baseless and had been done to tarnish his image and that of his government.

In view of the credibility of Media, social activist Dr Nutan Thakur had requested PCI Chairman Justice Markandey Katju to conduct a detailed enquiry in the matter so as to bring the truth of whether the initial media reports regarding his whipping statements are correct or not, which will also clarify the situation about his later denials.