Puthiya Thalaimurai goes off air from state cable network; journalists condemn move

Leading Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai has reportedly gone off air since October 3 from the state-run cable network Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited (TACTV), prompting protests from the journalists in Chennai.

As soon as the Puthiya Thalaimurai went off air, its team received several complaints from its viewers. Some reports also suggest that the channel was partially restored in a few districts following “negotiations”; however, the blackout continues in several areas.

On Thursday, media bodies and opposition have termed the channel‘s blackout to be in connection with the extensive coverage of actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay’s statewide political tour and the recent Karur rally stampede, which claimed 41 lives.

The Chennai Press Club condemned the blackout, calling it an act of censorship and demanded its immediate restoration. The News Broadcaster’s Federation urged the MK Stalin-led government to restore the channel on the state network.

However, senior state officials denied any censorship and alleged that the interruption was owing to technical glitches, specifically on SD set-top boxes.

The state-owned TACTV network is spread across Tamil Nadu with lakhs of subscribers, carrying over 150 channels.

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Former Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief have condemned Puthiya Thalaimurai‘s blackout, calling it an attempt to obstruct the fourth pillar of democracy with dictatorial intentions.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Khazagam (DMK) of blocking the channel for highlighting the government’s mistakes over the Karur stampede tragedy.

Karur stampede

Forty-one people died and 60 were injured after a stampede broke out during actor-turned-politician Vijay’s rally in Karur on September 27. The incident triggered massive political backlash, with Vijay alleging political conspiracy and the opposition launching a counter-attack.

Days after the incident, Vijay spoke to the victim’s families on Tuesday over a video call and assured to meet them personally.

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