Mumbai : News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA) president Avinash Pandey has written to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urging him to take immediate action against the individuals and officials who attacked and/or searched the offices of Malayalam news channel Asianet in Kochi and Kozhikode, Kerala.

Pandey in his letter mentioned the attack by Student Federation of India (SFI) activists on the premises of Asianet News Network (a member of the NBDA) in Kochi, as well as the subsequent police search of its office in Kozhikode, Kerala

 “NBDA maintains that while no individual or institution is above the law, however, it condemns any attempt to muzzle the media and thereby cause any interference with the free functioning of news operations. Such attacks and searches are not only unacceptable, but they also undermine the basic tenets of freedom of speech and expression enshrined in the Constitution of India,” he said in letter.

“We sincerely urge you and the State administration to take immediate action against the individuals and officials who attacked and/or searched the office premises of Asianet and ensure that journalists and media persons are allowed to perform their duties in a free and fearless manner,” he added.

NBDA also issued an official statement condemning the attack and the subsequent police raid on Asianet's offices.

Pandey wrote, “As an Association, we believe in promoting excellence in broadcasting standards and all Members are governed by the Code of Ethics & Broadcasting Standards. As a result, we have constituted an independent Self-Regulatory Adjudicatory Body, namely the “News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority” (NBDSA), which is headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge Justice AK Sikri. NBDSA considers and adjudicates upon complaints with respect to broadcasts/ publications, including all content which violates the Code of Ethics & Broadcasting Standards and the Guidelines issued by it. All such complaints can be made to News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority.”

He expressed that it would be in the larger interest of freedom of speech and expression of the media, if in future any complaint with regard to any broadcaster/ digital news media entity is decided by NBDSA.