News channel threatened for running news against Khalistani separatists

A digital news channel in Mumbai received a threatening call warning them to stop negative coverage of Khalistan separatists or face consequences. Police are investigating the unknown caller.

MUMBAI: A digital news channel has allegedly received a call in which they were threatened with dire consequences if they did not stop negative coverage of Khalistan separatists on their channel. MIDC police have booked the unknown caller for trying to cause enmity between different groups of people and criminal intimidation.

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The complaint was made by Madhusudan Nayar, vice president (administration) of HW news network on Friday. They received the phone call the same day when the channel broadcast an editorial on the Khalistan issue by the managing director Sujit Nair.

Nayar said he was the only executive in the office that day, which is why the security guard transferred the call to him. “The caller introduced himself as Gurinder from Chandigarh and asked to talk to Nair. I told him he could discuss the matter with me. After this, the caller started speaking about how Sujit was not doing the right thing,” he said in his statement to the police.

The caller then questioned what a Malayali from Kerala living in Mumbai would know about Sikhs or Khalistan. “Therefore, he cannot speak and spread venom against Khalistan. It could result in a genocide,” the caller warned Nayar. He even mentioned the 1984 riots and the assassination of Indira Gandhi. He ended the call after warning Nayar that his channel should stop negative editorials regarding Khalistan or face dire consequences.

The channel authorities approached MIDC police on Friday, who booked the unknown caller under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of the Indian Penal Code. “We are tracing the number from which the call was made. We will find out the exact intentions of the person and modify the charges accordingly,” said the officer.