Members of the Arunachal Pradesh media fraternity on Sunday staged a sit-in-dharna outside the Arunachal Press Club here to register its protest against the arbitrary cancellation of the registration of Daily Desher Katha, the second largest circulated daily in Tripura by the Registrar of Newspapers India (RNI).
Established on August 15, 1979, the Desher Katha is a well-established vernacular (Bangla) newspaper in Tripura backed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). According to reports, the magistrate of the West Tripura district had cancelled the declaration issued by the Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Sadar on October 1, on the same day and advised the RNI to cancel the registration.
The RNI which issued the fresh certificate to the new owner cancelled it within hours.
The Desher Katha members had earlier claimed that since the day the BJP government came to power in Tripura, constant efforts are being made to muzzle the daily which is being run by the CPI (M).
The Sunday’s sit-in-dharna here was staged by the members of the Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalist (APUWJ), Arunachal Electronic Media Association (AEMA), and the APC.
Condemning the development, APUWJ president Amar Sangno said that cancellation of RNI registration of vernacular daily is nothing but political vendetta of BJP government in Tripura and attempt to weaken Free Press.
Expressing solidarity with the daily, Sangno also called upon the RNI to immediately revoke the registration of Desher Katha and restore democratic spirit in the state.