Bengaluru, January, 23: Former MLC Ramesh Babu has accused the state BJP government of curbing the media freedom by directing police to issue notice to “The Wire” news agency.
In a letter written to the Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Ramesh Babu has urged these two officers to direct the police in order to withdraw the notice given to The agency.
According to Ramesh Babu, The agency had reported of a scam in the Department of Education recently.
Then immediately the police swooped upon The Wire office and issued notice asking for ‘concrete evidence’ in support of their news report.
The Cyber Crime Police slapped the notice on those who were present and asked them that the Editor must immediately reply to the notice.
“Freedom of the press is the bedrock of a successful democracy. Here, the press freedom is being muzzled. The Wire has been asked to give in writing the source of the story, person who revealed the contents of the records and the objective behind filing the story. This is atrocious. Nobody has right to ask for the source of the story,” Ramesh Babu added.
Ramesh Babu contended that the content of the story has nothing to do with the defense secrets or does not have any international ramifications.
“The story in The agency pertains to a scandal worth several crores in the Department of Education. It involves two suspended officers. There is nothing wrong in the story. But the Cyber Crime police insisted that The Wire disclose the source and the intention behind publishing the story. This is nothing but dictatorial tendency,” Ramesh Babu explained.
He urged the Chief Secretary and the ACS (Home) to direct the Cyber Crime police to withdraw the notice slapped on The agency.
EOM
