Hyderabad, January 9: The City Police Commissioner, Mr A K Khan, has cautioned the media that stern action would be taken against those who violated the guidelines issued in the Cable Act and those issued by the High Court thrice in its orders.
Talking to the media here on Saturday, Mr Khan said that the police had not imposed any restrictions as such on the media, but would be enforcing the guidelines issued in the Cable Act and the High Court, as a law enforcing agency. “If we fail to enforce these instructions, we will be answerable to the High Court and the Law” he added.
Stating that the National Broadcasting Association, formed by the media itself also directed the news channels not to telecast scenes of violence, he said, it was the duty of the electronic media to follow those guidelines as they were issued by an organization which they themselves had set up. He said similar instructions were given by the High Court also.
Stating that the police had issued a notice to one Telugu channel which had violated these norms, Mr Khan said clear instructions were sent to all the channels and print media and urged them to abide by those instructions.
Mr Khan said that 18 cases were registered by the police on the violence that occurred on the Osmania University campus and 12 persons were arrested. He said that there were outsiders also among those arrested, apart from students. He also pointed out that though the police said that Ravi Kumar, a student injured in the Osmania incidents was safe and was undergoing treatment, some channels had said that he had died. He said that action would be taken against those channels.
He said that the police were also looking into inflammatory SMSes being sent by individuals. He said that one individual had sent an SMS stating that nine students had died and 100 injured. The mobile number was traced and action would be taken against that person. He said no further evidence would be necessary to take action against that person and he would be imprisoned for three years. He also urged the people to refrain from sending such inflammatory and misleading SMSes. He said that action would be taken against those sending SMSes under Section 66(A) of the IT Act.
The Police Commissioner said that every one was free to protest in a non-violent and democratic manner and the police would not object to such protests.
NSS