Zee News ordered to telecast apology to poet Gauhar Raza on February 16

The National Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) has rejected Zee News’ revision petition in the Gauhar Raza case and asked the Hindi channel to apologise for a programme aired in 2016, in which Raza and other poets were referred to as members of the “Afzal Premi Gang”.

The channel has been ordered to display the apology on February 16 at 9 pm and to deposit Rs 1 lakh within seven days.

Zee News had earlier been asked to tender a public apology and had appealed against it. The NBSA rejected the appeal on Saturday, The Wire reported.

The channel has been told to run the following statement: “Zee News regrets the taglines used and views expressed during the broadcast of the programme/news report ‘Afzal Premi Gang ka Mushaira’ from 9.3.2016 to 12.3.2016, reporting upon the poetry recital by Prof Gauhar Raza on 5.3.2016 at the annual Shankar-Shad (Indo-Pak) Mushaira at New Delhi. Zee News also regrets the description of Prof Gauhar Raza and the attendees/participants at the event as ‘Afzal Premi Gang’.”

Urdu poet, scientist and filmmaker Raza had complained to the NBSA in April 2016, saying that the news channel had branded him as anti-national and a supporter of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.