CPI slams one-day ban on Hindi news channel

CPI today slammed the central government over the one-day ban on a Hindi news channel, terming it as an "attack on the freedom of media" which, the party claimed, amounted to "strangulating" its voice.

"It is an attack on freedom of the media and government should not resort to such repressive force and strangulate the voice of media," CPI National Secretary D Raja told PTI.

The unprecedented decision of an inter-ministerial panel to take NDTV India off air for a day over its reporting of the Pathankot attack has already come under severe criticism from media bodies and opposition parties such as Congress and AAP.

"It (the decision) means government wants the media to toe its line. Good sense should prevail and government should give up," he said.

On growing tensions on the Indo-Pak border, he urged both countries to adopt a "sober approach" to de-escalate tensions, saying they cannot afford a military conflict.

Asking how long can the tensions continue between the two countries, Raja said both India and Pakistan should conduct themselves in "a mature, sober way".

"Both countries should conduct themselves in a mature way, sober way to de-escalate (tensions) and not to allow the situation to continue like this," he said.

Raja said the actions of the two countries in summoning each other's diplomats to express "their disapproval or some kind of protest," was not correct.

"At the government level there should be some sober approach, keeping in view the future of the two countries because both cannot afford to have such military conflict or go for a kind of a war. This they should understand," he said.

Post the Uri attack in Kashmir, tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated, with Pakistan regularly violating the ceasefire on the border, even as the Indian Army had conducted surgical strikes at terror camps in PoK.