Chennai: Tamil media house Vikatan has alleged that the magazine’s news website was blocked on Saturday night after it published a cartoon depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with his hands and legs chained, sitting beside US President Doland Trump.
The cartoon, published in its magazine ‘Vikatan Plus’ on 10 February, is said to be a potshot at PM Modi for not taking up the issue of Indians deported from the US in handcuffs.
In its statement, the magazine said that it has not received any official communication from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. ThePrint reached out to Minister of State, I&B, L. Murugan, who refused to confirm it.
The alleged action is said to have been taken following a complaint by Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai. In his complaint filed with Murugan, Annamalai had alleged that deliberate printing of malicious information by Vikatan Magazine violates the principles and ethics published under the norms of journalistic conduct defined by the Press Council of India.
Annamalai has also alleged that the cartoon was published to please the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu.
“Today’s cover picture has been deliberately published to paint a negative image of the entire diplomatic trip of our Honourable PM to please the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu and cast a shadow on the diplomatic progress made by our Honorable Prime Minister Thiru Narendra Modi avl as an outcome of this trip,” Annamalai said in his complaint.
Murugan said that a complaint was received regarding the cartoon, but did not confirm if it was an action taken by the ministry. “The action taken in regard to the complaint will be officially informed by the ministry,”he said.
In its statement released on social media, the magazine said it was trying to ascertain the reasons behind the blocking of their website and were in the process of taking up the matter with the ministry.
“For nearly a century, Vikatan has stood firmly in support of freedom of expression. We have always operated with the principle of upholding free speech and will continue to do so” the magazine said in a statement.
Chennai Press Club and Union for Media Persons for Change have condemned the blocking of the website.
“Cartoons are inseparable from journalism. It is an important weapon in the media since even a complex subject could be explained in a simple manner through a cartoon to the public. So, blocking the website amounts to blocking the freedom of expression guaranteed in the Constitution of India,” Chennai Press Club said in its statement Sunday.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has also condemned the central government for blocking the Vikatan magazine’s website.
“It is not good for democracy to block the media for expressing opinions. This is an example of the fascist nature of BJP. I demand immediate permission(to restore) the blocked website,” Stalin posted on ‘X’.
Brush with dispensation
This is not the first time Vikatan has been facing the heat of the government, recalled former Junior Vikatan Magazine editor Barakath Ali.
In 1987 during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) rule, former chairman of the Vikatan group of publications late S. Balasubramanian was arrested and lodged in prison for three days after a privilege motion was passed against him in the Tamil Nadu Assembly for publishing a cartoon about the legislators.
Barakath Ali pointed out that the magazine has not been averse to the legal actions taken by the government. “Irrespective of whoever is in power, the magazine has been critical about them and has published cartoons criticising them. But, all of them were handled legally through defamation cases either filed by the government or the individuals.”
The central government’s action, according to Barakath Ali, is a double punishment for one action.
“There can be only one punishment for one action. They have already blocked the website and they would also go for a legal fight, which is dual punishment for one action. At any given point, throttling the voices of expression goes against the freedom of speech and freedom of press,” he remarked.
Although the website has been inaccessible in several places, Vikatan has decided not to take up the matter with the central government now.
“We are now seeking an explanation from the network providers as to why they have taken down our website in many places. Based on their response, we would approach the ministry and then take the legal course,” a senior editor at Vikatan told ThePrint.
The senior editor also explained that the website of the magazine’s all verticals has been blocked except the sports and cinema. “People are able to access the site through those verticals and continue reading our content.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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Stalin should be arrested and deported to Russia. That is where he truly belongs.