Banning The Times Of India

What led a students’ federation in Manipur to call for a ban on TOI in the state.

WrittenBy:Somi Das
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Mainstream media is often accused of not giving enough coverage to news from the North-Eastern states. Which is why it’s a little strange that a students’organisation from Manipur should call for a ban on The Times of India– the only national daily to have a separate Guwahati edition, which reports on stories from the entire North-East. Why would a student’s federation which describes itself as “a pressure group rendering welfare services of the Manipuri in general and for the students in particular” and often uses the media to get their voice heard, call for a ban on a national daily?

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The Manipuri Students Federation (MSF) has asked for a ban onTOI because of a report on the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) which was published in the Guwahati edition on December 8, 2013.  The report –“RSS says no to AFSPA repeal from Manipur”– filed from Silchar, quoted Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) National Executive member Arun Kumar as saying, “As far as the situation in Manipur is concerned, the presence of the Army is necessary for the sake of security of common people. Manipur needs the Army until militants are neutralised”.

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The MSF shot off a letter to TOI registering their protest against the report. AFSPA is a sensitive issue in Manipur as the law has been in existence in the state for 55 years and has been extended for another year, and the TOI-MSF-RSS tiff was reported widely in local dailies.After the widespread reportage and local outrage over Arun Kumar’s statement, RSS issued a clarification saying Kumar was misquoted by TOI. Following RSS’ version, MSF sought a clarification from TOI(a copy of which has been attached at the end of the article).

TOI, however, didn’t publish any clarification. On December 31, the MSF appealed to the people of the state to discontinue their TOI subscriptions. They also asked hawkers and distributers to stop distributing the newspapers.

Newslaundry spoke to the vice president of MSF, RN Koireng about the ban and asked him if calling for a ban also acts as a blow to press freedom in the state. Koireng said that their call for a ban on TOI is not an act against press freedom but a way to ensure that their “right to life” is not jeopardised by anyone.

“The report justifies the Act which has been termed as draconian or black law by various sections of people around the globe and even United Nations. The Act has been at the heart of concerns about human rights violations in the regions of its enforcement, where arbitrary killings, torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and enforced disappearances have happened. We are demanding removal or repealing of AFSPA 1958 from the state and NE regions.”

Of the national dailies The Hindu published the news with the headline: “Federation bans Times of India and RSS.” TOI has remained tight-lipped about the entire issue. When we contacted Guwahati bureau chief Oinam Sunil, he said, “The Delhi bureau has asked me not to comment on the issue”. He also denied that there is any ban on TOI in Manipur.

On one hand, it isn’t clear how the MSF plans to implement this ban. On the other, TOI’s silence on the issue is intriguing, even more so because it has been accused of allegedly misquoting someone on an issue as sensitive as AFSPA. Considering ‘Times View’ provides a comment on everything, we are surprised they have nothing to say on this.

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