Writ petition in Desh HC seeks ban on Indian TV channels

 

 

 

A WRIT petition has been filed in the Bangladesh High Court seeking a ban on the broadcast of all Indian TV channels in the country citing provocative news aired on them, according to a media report. Lawyer Ekhlas Uddin Bhuiyan filed the petition and confirmed the matter on Monday, the ‘Dhaka Tribune’ reported. Bhuiyan said a hearing on the application may take place on the High Court bench, which will consist of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi. The writ petition was filed in the High Court seeking a ban on the broadcast of all Indian TV channels in Bangladesh, the report added. The writ seeks a directive under Section 29 of the Cable Television Network Operation Act 2006 to prohibit the broadcast of all Indian TV channels. It also asks why a rule should not be issued instructing a ban on Indian TV channels in Bangladesh.

 

The writ calls for a ban on channels like Star Jalsha, Star Plus, Zee Bangla, Republic Bangla, and all other Indian TV channels, the report added. The petition alleges that provocative news is being aired on Indian channels and that unregulated broadcasts of content opposing Bangladeshi culture are leading to the destruction of the youth, the report added. It further claims that these channels are not adhering to any regulations. The Secretaries of the Information Ministry and the Home Ministry, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), and others are named as respondents in the petition. The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August. India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country. There has been a rise in violent attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh. Hindu minority groups have been frequently reporting atrocities against their community members in different parts of Bangladesh, even after Yunus took charge. The diplomatic row erupted between India and Bangladesh after Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on November 25. Das, the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was denied bail and sent to jail by the Chattogram’s Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate court in a sedition case on November 26. It triggered clashes between his supporters and the security personnel that led to the killing of a lawyer.

 

 

DHAKA,

 

 

A BANGLADESH court on Tuesday deferred to next month a hearing on the bail petition of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, arrested on a sedition charge, as no lawyer appeared on his behalf. Swatantra Gauranga Das, an associate of the monk at his Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, claimed that no lawyer represented the Hindu leader due to threats from a “politically motivated lawyers’ group”. The bail hearing at the Chattogram court has now been postponed to January 2. Das’ arrest on November 25 had triggered demonstrations by supporters of the monk, who was previously with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). In Chattogram, an assistant government prosecutor, Saiful Islam Alif, was killed in a protest after the monk was denied bail. The arrest also intensified the row between India and Bangladesh over attacks on Hindus after Sheikh Hasina was ousted as PM and an interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus took over. A Government prosecutor told reporters that the court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Saiful Islam rescheduled the bail hearing after a plea by the prosecution side “as no lawyer appeared as defence counsel”.

 

 

BANGLADESH on Tuesday summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to the Foreign Affairs Ministry office here, a day after Dhaka lodged a strong protest against the alleged vandalism of its mission in the Indian state of Tripura. “He (Verma) came as he was asked to come when we conveyed him our concerns,” a Foreign Ministry official briefly said. Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain earlier said the Indian envoy was asked to come to the foreign office after the Agartala incident. Verma, on the other hand, said Delhi wants to build a “constant stable, constructive relationship” with Bangladesh saying no single issue should stand a barrier for bilateral ties. “We are willing to engage with the interim government of Bangladesh,” he told reporters emerging from the meeting with acting Foreign Secretary Riaz Hamidullah.