The Mehbooba Mufti government in Jammu and Kashmir is looking to take action against 34 television channels, some from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, that it says might incite violence in the conflict-ridden region, PTI reported on Sunday. The state’s deputy commissioners of police have been asked to stop these channels from being transmitted as they are banned by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, a notice by the state government said.
“It needs being noted that transmission of non-permitted TV channels apart from attracting the violation (of the law), has the potential to encourage or incite violence and create law and order disturbances in the Kashmir Valley,” the notice said. It was issued by the Principal Secretary, Home Department, RK Goyal.
The notice asks the magistrates to act quickly, saying cable operators are violating the Cable TV Networks Regulation Rules by transmitting the banned channels. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu spoke to the chief secretary on the matter on Friday, the PTI report added.
Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s Peace TV is among the 34 channels on the list.
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