Editors Guild slams blocking of Vikatan website over Modi cartoon

The Editors Guild of India has denounced as “an affront to press freedom” the government move to block the web portal of Tamil publication Ananda Vikatan after it carried a cartoon showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in chains.

The editors’ body came out with a strongly-worded statement in the wake of the blocking following a complaint by a Tamil Nadu BJP leader and the purported death threats made to the cartoonist.

The Guild called the incident “an affront to press freedom and a direct threat to India’s democratic ideals of fairness and transparency.

Guild attacks government

“Concerns are escalating regarding the state of media freedom in India, and this incident could further undermine public trust in government intentions,” it said.

Also read: Association of Indian Magazines slams 'arbitrary' blocking of Vikatan website

The Guild also condemned the online harassment faced by the cartoonist, who it said has been targeted with severe trolling and has got death threats following the publication of the cartoon.

The Vikatan cartoon

The cartoon, published on February 10, showed Modi with his hands and legs chained while seated near US President Donald Trump.

The cartoon came in the wake of several Indians being deported and flown back from the US in handcuffs. It also came days before Modi’s meeting with Trump at the White House.

BJP leader complains

Its publication triggered outrage among Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, with its Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai raising the matter with the minister of state for information and broadcasting in New Delhi.

Annamalai accused Vikatan of defaming the prime minister and undermining India’s political and diplomatic efforts. He demanded immediate action against the media house.

In no time, the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) blocked the web portal without any prior notice or due process.

Bombay High Court

The Guild criticized the sudden action as “an alarming instance of governmental overreach”. It condemned the lack of prior communication and the denial of a fair hearing for Ananda Vikatan, a hugely popular media group in Tamil Nadu which operates Vikatan.com.

It said a notice was only issued to the publishers after the website was blocked. This, it argued, represented a reversal of due process as it seeks to address grievances after an arbitrary action had already been taken.

The Guild pointed out that the Bombay High Court has imposed a stay on certain sections of the IT Rules 2021, particularly those related to the Code of Ethics.

Guild wants order reversed

This stay limits the powers of the inter-departmental committee regarding complaints against publishers, raising further legal and ethical issues surrounding the blocking of Vikatan.com.

The Guild called on the Central government to reverse the blocking order and to uphold free speech principles without resorting to arbitrary measures.

Vikatan stands firm

The action against the Vikatan portal has been widely condemned by political leaders and others in Tamil Nadu and beyond.

The Vikatan group said in a statement: “For nearly a century, Vikatan has stood firmly in support of freedom of expression. We have always operated with the principle of upholding free speech and will continue to do so.”