IBN7 targeted by Uttar Pradesh government

Senior journalists of IBN7 were roughed up by UP police; channel reiterates its commitment of fearless journalism.

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | June 28, 2011

The Uttar Pradesh Administration, in an alleged attempt to gag the media for the recent coverage of rising crime graph in the state, rounded up Shalabh Mani Tripathi, the Lucknow bureau chief of IBN7 news channel. As the news of Tripathi's detention spread, a large number of media fraternity gathered outside the police station. He was released later after fellow scribes hit the streets. Protesting the incident, journalists from across media organizations staged a demonstration near Chief Minister's residence, after which the Secretary to the Chief Minister told the reporters that the process of suspension of the police officers has been initiated.

Two senior journalists of IBN7 were also targeted and roughed up by senior police officers from the Lucknow administration on Sunday night when IBN7 refused to compromise and succumb under government  pressure and bow down to their unreasonable demands in relation to this story. Was it the government's prerogative or just high handedness on the part of the officials to hide the truth?

Shalabh has been relentlessly tracking Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Y.S. Sachan's death. In fact, Shalabh is the person who first broke Dr Sachan's death story in Lucknow Jail and exposed the UP Government as to how they were trying to hush up the case by showing it to be a suicide and not murder thus highlighting the loopholes in the probe and the versions given by the government.

The government was eventually forced to retract their earlier version and has now registered his death as a case of murder under pressure not just from the family but even from the medico legal fraternity within the Uttar Pradesh government and beyond.

IBN7 was also switched off / blacked out in entire UP on several occasions during last few weeks when the channel refused to compromise and succumb to the State Administration's pressures.

Speaking on this, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN Network said, “IBN7 is committed to uncover the truth and we will continue to highlight the facts despite these pressure tactics. We will not get fazed by these attempts to curb the freedom of press, infact this makes our resolve stronger to stand for the truth”.

“This is the second time that an attempt to curtail the freedom of press is made by unruly elements who want to prevent us from bringing the facts; nothing can stop our committed journalists from unveiling the truth,” added Ashutosh, Managing Editor, IBN7.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com