The Editors Guild of India has condemned the decision of the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) to cancel the registration of Daily Desher Katha , a newspaper published from Agartala.
The Guild termed the move a gross overreaction and a draconian step that throttled freedom of the media.
It has demanded immediate revocation of the RNI order pending further inquiry into the charges of misinformation. “It also demands that a thorough inquiry is instituted by the government to investigate whether the decision was politically motivated,” it said.
“According to media reports, the registration of Daily Desher Katha , a mouthpiece of the CPI-M in Tripura, was cancelled on the ground that there was ‘unauthorised change of ownership,’” it said.
The Guild said the RNI letter to the newspaper said the registration was cancelled on the basis of a report from the sub-divisional magistrate.
“As a consequence, the daily suspended its publication on October 2 for the first time since its inception about four decades ago,” it said.