CHENNAI: Three Tamil news channels - Polimer News, News Tamil 24x7 and Tamil Janam - have gone off air on Arasu Cable TV, the state-run cable television network, on Tuesday.
Contending that the channels have been targeted by the government, as they were continuously reporting on issues such as law and order, the alleged excesses of ruling party functionaries, the safety of women and the narcotics menace, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami accused the government of suppressing dissent and stifling press freedom.
In a post on X on Tuesday, EPS said the move followed an earlier incident in which another news channel was taken off air after it questioned the chief minister’s decision to avoid meeting journalists during his visit to Delhi. He said the channel’s broadcast was restored only after widespread protests from opposition parties and media organisations.
The Chennai Press Club also strongly condemned the alleged blackout of television channels, and urged the authorities to immediately restore their broadcasts.
Meanwhile, TN Fact Check, the fact check unit of the state government, clarified reports claiming the removal of the channels are false. In its post on X, it said the three channels are only temporarily unavailable on certain set-top boxes due to technical issues.
“The affected television channels have been informed, and corrective measures are being carried out by the contracted service provider, Mantra Industries Limited. The corporation said efforts to restore normal transmission are under way on a priority basis,” it added.
The fact check unit also rejected allegations that the disruption was caused by outstanding payments owed to the set-top box company
