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Updated September 11th, 2020 at 22:27 IST

Here's how to sign the #CantBlockRepublic petition & defend the democratic right to report

A shocking & brazen bid has been made to block Republic's right to report as a wing of the ruling Shiv Sena has issued threats to cable networks in Maharashtra

Reported by: Digital Desk
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As Republic Media Network continues to fight for truth and justice in the Sushant death case, a shocking and brazen attempt has been made to block the right to report as a party wing of the ruling Shiv Sena has issued threats to cable networks in Maharashtra to block the network from beaming to people's homes in the state; this after putting Republic’s reporter in jail for 3 days and counting.

The Shiv Cable Sena which is part of the Shiv Sena has issued an order which is signed by Sanjay Raut’s brother Sunil Raut, the chief of the organisation. Sanjay Raut is the “pramukh margdarshak” of this organisation and its order itself carries the words “under the guidance of Sanjay Raut”. This comes after Maharashtra Police has taken our reporter Anuj Kumar, video journalist Yashpaljit Singh and Ola cab driver Pradeep Dilip Dhanavade into illegal police custody, when the reporting team was following a journalistic lead in an investigative assignment in Karjat in Raigad.

The aforementioned threat to block Republic Media Network is a brazen violation of freedom of speech under Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India. As those in the power corridors attempt to use outright strongarm and intimidation tactics to clampdown on Republic Media Network, we appeal to you, dear viewers and readers, for your support to battle this clampdown which reeks of an emergency mindset and support us as we continue our duty to write, report, and investigate and make this seamlessly available to you. 

The #CantBlockRepublic petition appeals to the people of India to come forward and join the fight for the right to report in a free democratic country. This Petition is a pledge to unite and stand against governments, like the present Maharashtra government, and all others in power who use party machinery and systems of intimidation to try and block an independent news channel from reaching its viewers.

Here's where you can sign the petition to demand that the right to report in any part of India must prevail and reportage cannot be blocked 

Why Republic Media Network must not be blocked

In the Democratic Republic of India, every citizen has freedom of speech as part of their fundamental rights under Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India, and this must be protected and cannot be squandered at the whims of political parties. Citizens have the right to know, journalists have the right to report, the people of India have the right to access that information seamlessly and no threat can be used to prevent the fourth pillar from operating or reaching its audience. Such a threat is an attack on constitutionally guaranteed rights with a motivation to muzzle a free press and shake the fourth pillar of our democracy. 

SIGN THE PETITION HERE: petition.republicworld.com

 

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Published September 11th, 2020 at 08:06 IST

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