Kerala: BJP workers attack MediaOneTV headquarters
Kerala: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won one seat in Kerala – Thrissur, represented by actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi. This is considered a significant win for the saffron party, where it has been trying to make inroads for quite some time now. It has registered its first Lok Sabha win in the southern states. After the winner was announced, BJP workers celebrated the victory by allegedly attacking the headquarters of media channel MediaOneTV and injured an employee. The saffron-clad BJP workers hurled firecrackers and tried to forcibly enter the premises of the channel’s studio in Kozhikode.
MediaOneTV clashes with the central government On January 31, 2022, MediaOne TV stopped broadcasting in the afternoon after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting refused to renew the channel’s license to operate in the wake of the cancellation of security clearance for Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited. MediaOne TV is one of the few Indian news channels owned by an Islamic organisation. The channel sought help from the Kerala High Court following the move. However, on February 8, 2022, the High Court upheld the decision of the Central government. On March 15, 2022, MediaOneTV appealed to the Supreme Court, which unfortunately stayed the High Court order justifying the ban on grounds of national security. It granted interim relief, saying that the petitioners will be allowed to continue operating the news and current affairs channel MediaOne on the same basis on which the channel was being operated till the security clearance is revoked.
Dispute with the Governor
On October 24, 2022, MediaOneTV along with three other news outlets – Kairali, Reporter and JaiHindi – were banned from entering the office of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. Khan had told the media persons that he would talk to original journalists and not ‘CPI(M) workers masquerading as journalists’, which infuriated the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) and said it was an encroachment on press freedom.
