Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday lashed out at the Maharashtra Government saying that their recent acts of intolerance had shaken up the entire nation. Calling them out over their attempts to block Republic Bharat and the forcible detention of our reporter Anuj, the Union Minister remarked that the Sena-led government was indulging in a ‘murder of democracy’, reminding the nation of the Emergency period.
“The recent incidents in Maharashtra have shaken up the nation. They want to silence every voice and reaction against them. The way in which the Maharashtra government is going, this definitely reminds us of the time of emergency,” said Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
“A photojournalist and journalist were standing outside a farmhouse and were sent to jail for merely asking whose farmhouse is this. These kinds of acts in a country like India are extremely condemnable and indecent. By trying to threaten Republic, saying we won’t let cable operators air your channel, there could be no bigger attempt to murder democracy than this. Citizens will for sure question the government’s actions in the coming times,” he said.
Sena tries to block Republic
Earlier on Thursday this week, the Shiv Cable Sena issued an ‘order’ signed by Sanjay Raut’s brother Sunil Raut to cable network operators in Maharashtra to block Republic Bharat and Republic TV, after Republic’s investigative reports on the Sushant Singh Rajput case and the Disha Salian Case.
Alleging ‘insult’ to CM Uddhav Thackeray, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and Maharashtra police, the body which heads several cable network operators across Maharashtra has ordered them to block the two channels with immediate effect. The Pramukh Margdarshak of this body is ‘Saamana’ editor and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut.
However, in a major embarrassment to Shiv Sena, the Bombay High Court, on Friday has observed that Shiv Cable Sena is not a ‘statutory body’ to interfere or supersede Republic TV’s contract with its cable network operators. The Court also observed that if the cable network operators breach their contractual relationship with the Republic.
Sena goons assault Navy veteran
In another condemnable incident, Shiv Sena goons attacked a 62-year-old ex-Navy officer over a Whatsapp forward on Friday. The CCTV footage from the area shows the goons dragging Sharma, slapping him as he tries to run away. The Whatsapp forward was a satirical cartoon featuring Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and his allies – Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi. Navy veteran – Madan Sharma, is currently under treatment at Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali. The 6 goons who were responsible for the incident are already out on bail in just 24 hours.
