Iran’s Press TV has been banned in Jammu and Kashmir following its footage of a small group of conservative Christians tearing some pages from a Quran in a protest outside the White House to denounce what they called the “charade of Islam” on the anniversary of the 9/11attacks.
Soon after the report on Sunday night, thousands of people took to the streets across the Kashmir Valley to hold protests which soon turned violent. The intensity of these protests was relatively very high in Shia-dominated areas of Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla and Kargil districts where Press TV is very popular among viewers.
Srinagar’s district magistrate Meraj Ahmed Kakroo said he has banned Press TV telecasts. It was being run and telecast without permission from a competent authority, he said. Similar orders have been issued by the concerned magistrates of Jammu and Kashmir’s other districts.
Earlier during the day, the state’s chief secretary S.S. Kapoor and police chief Kuldeep Khoda at a hurriedly called press conference announced that the Press TV channel involved in showing images of desecration by “one unknown individual” has been banned. Voicing concern over the development, Mr Kapoor said the Government of India as well as the state government had already condemned the proposed move of Pastor Terry Jones to burn a copy of Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 which he, however, cancelled forever.
“But it was surprising that only this television channel (Press TV) based in Iran showed one unknown individual without verification or any authenticity desecrating the holy Quran, which seems to be a deliberate act and conspiracy to instigate innocent sentiments of people,” he said. The official added that he has verified from the ministry of information and broadcasting in New Delhi that this channel is not at all listed among registered channels authorised to beam out their programmes in India and, therefore, the concerned authorities have been asked to issue orders for immediate banning of the unauthorised channel.
He said that no other reliable channel abroad or in India has telecast such condemnable images of desecration. He said that even if such an act has occurred at any individual level it is an act which is strongly condemnable.
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Air services to Srinagar suspended for 3 days
Srinagar, Sept. 13: All flights to and fro Srinagar have been suspended on Monday for three days in view of the ongoing unrest in Kashmir Valley, officials said.
The flights were suspended after fresh violence erupted in the Valley, leaving 15 persons dead and scores injured, they said.
The move to suspend the flights was taken after a security review which decided that ferrying the airport staff and passengers to Awantipora airbase, 32 km from here, was a security risk, the officials said.
The flights to Srinagar have been diverted to Awantipora airbase since September 3 due to resurfacing work going on at the only civilian airport in the summer capital of the state.
—PTI