Kerala: Kairali, MediaOne among 4 channels barred from Raj Bhavan

Thiruvananthapuram:  The Kerala Governor’s office on Monday barred four television channels from entering the Raj Bhavan here to cover his press conference, prompting political parties and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) to mark their protest saying it was an encroachment on the freedom of the press.
Soon after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s press meeting, journalists approached Governor Arif Mohammed Khan for his reaction but he refused to comment saying he won’t reply to party cadres “masquerading” as journalists.
“I can only tell you, please whosoever wants to talk to me, can send a request to Raj Bhavan, I will make sure that I talk to you. But I don’t know who among you is a genuine journalist and who are the cadre masquerading as media. And I do not wish to speak to the cadre,” Khan told the media after an event in Thiruvananthapuram.
Also Read VCs to continue until Governor’s final order: Kerala High Court Later, he called a press conference but channels including Kairali, Reporter, MediaOne and Jaihind were not given permission to cover the same.
“It’s not right on behalf of the Governor, which is a constitutional post, to deny permission to a section of media. Avoiding the media is a fascist approach. This is not good for democracy,” Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said.
Meanwhile, the KUWJ registered its strong protest against the ban on certain channels.