Amid Khalistan row, Indian govt issues advisory for TV channels

Amid a diplomatic row between India and Canada over the death of a pro-Khalistan Sikh leader, the Indian government has issued an advisory for the TV news channels asking them not to give any platform to "persons against whom there are charges of serious crimes including terrorism or belonging to organisations proscribed by law".

"The advisory has been issued in light of a recent discussion on a television channel of a person in a foreign country against whom there are serious cases of crime including terrorism, belonging to an organization which has been proscribed by law in India," the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said today in a press statement.


"During the discussion the person had made several comments which are detrimental to the sovereignty/integrity of the country, security of India, friendly relations of India with a foreign state and also have the potential of disturbing public order in the country."

The Ministry has categorically stated that the Government upholds media freedom and respects its rights under the Constitution, but at the same time the content telecast by TV channels must adhere to the provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 including sub section (2) of Section 20.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had a rough time in Delhi during the G20 summit hearing accusations of harbouring pro-Khalistan terrorists on its soil, alleged that agents linked with the Indian government had assassinated a Canadian citizen Nijjar -- designated as a terrorist in India -- on its soil and expelled an Indian diplomat.

Nijjar, 45, was shot and killed in June outside a Sikh cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver.

The Indian Foreign Ministry had earlier dismissed the Canadian allegations regarding Nijjar's killing as "absurd and motivated".