'Order was to ban sting, not channels'

The District Collector said his instructions were misinterpreted by the cable operators who "acted in haste"..

The Ahmedabad district collector, who placed restrictions on the telecast of three leading news networks, said that his instructions were misinterpreted.

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"The instructions were misinterpreted. It was clearly stated to the cable operators that only the particular news programme on the sting operation on the post-Godhra riot incidents and other such programmes should not be shown. There was no ban on the networks showing other programmes," District Collector Dhananjay Dwivedi said.

Dwivedi said the instructions given three days ago were very clear and inspite of this, the channels and the cable operators acted in a hasty manner and stopped transmitting any news bulletin. "As long as they are not telecasting the communally sensitive programme and others of the same category they are welcome to start transmission at any given time," he said.

The District Collector had taken this step after Tehelka's sting operation on the post-Godhra communal riot incidents was telecast on Aaj Tak channel on Thursday night.

The cable operators in Ahmedabad had not shown the sting operation in several areas even as it was broadcast to nationwide audience.

In the sting operation, an undercover journalist had caught people involved in the rioting incidents and also others like advocates and politicians on hidden camera purportedly confessing their role in the 2002 carnage.