Republic Bharat reportedly taken off-air in UK amidst Arnab Goswami’s mysterious absence from TV
Channel was fined Rs 20 lakh by British regulator for hate speech
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In a sensational development, Republic Bharat has reportedly been taken off-air in the United Kingdom amidst the mysterious absence of the TV channel’s founder Arnab Goswami public scene. The news of Republic Bharat being taken off-air in the UK comes just weeks after the British media regulator Ofcom imposed a fine of £20,000 (equivalent to around Rs. 20 lakh) on it for broadcasting hate speech.
A report by UK-based website Biz Asia Live said, “The popular Hindi news channel from India, was situated on Sky EPG 708. It currently is broadcasting at zero level. It was subsequently removed from the EPG. It is not yet clear if Republic Bharat will return.”
There’s no mention of Republic Bharat in the latest programme guide of the Sky website. While other Indian channels namely Aaj Tak, Sony TV, Zee TV and Colors TV continue to be operational, Republic Bharat has disappeared from Channel 708 on Sky, the UK’s biggest and most prestigious TV distribution platform.
Though Republic Media Network has not commented on the reported development, the news comes amidst intense speculations on the mysterious absence of Arnab Goswami from his own TV channels. Many supporters of Arnab have taken to social media to inquire about his well-being. Madhu Kishwar, who’s often appeared on Republic TV as a guest to take part in the TV channel’s debate shows, had recently urged Arnab’s colleagues to release a health update on the TV anchor.
In December, British media watchdog Ofcom had slapped a fine of £20,000 (equivalent to approximately Rs. 20 lakh) against Republic Bharat for promoting hate speech. In an extraordinary ruling, the Ofcom had warned Republic Bharat to not repeat the same mistake in the future.
“In Ofcom’s Decision published on 24 February 2020 in Issue 397 of the Ofcom Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin 3 (the “Breach Decision”), Ofcom’s Executive had found that this programme contained uncontextualised hate speech and that this content was potentially highly offensive, breaching Rules 2.3, 3.2 and 3.3 of the Code.”
The Ofcom had also ruled that Republic TV had a history of breaches and has asked the UK representatives of Republic TV to attend a meeting to discuss its compliance arrangements.
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Chamoli hydropower tunnel train collision: 88 injured, magisterial probe ordered
Gopeshwar/Dehradun (PTI): Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the collision between two loco trains inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydropower project, which left 88 people injured.
Earlier in the day, Kumar said that the accident occurred around 8.30 pm on Tuesday at the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) site inside the tunnel being built by THDC (India).
A loco train carrying workers for tunnel excavation during the night shift was about two kilometres inside the tunnel when another loco train coming from the opposite direction lost control and collided with it.
One of the trains had workers and officials on board, while the other carried material.
Upon receiving information about the collision, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered proper treatment for the injured. He spoke to the DM over the phone and instructed him to ensure that all the injured receive the best possible medical facilities.
DM Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar met the injured at the Gopeshwar District Hospital.
Kumar said 109 people were on board the loco train at the time of the accident, most of them labourers. None of the injured was serious, he said.
He said that 88 of them were injured, although none of them are in serious condition. They said that 84 workers were discharged after receiving first aid, while four are still hospitalized.
DM Kumar and SP Panwar also inspected the project site and sought detailed information about the incident from the project officials.
They instructed them to strictly implement all necessary safety standards to prevent a recurrence of such an incident in the future.
After inspection, the DM issued orders for a magisterial inquiry into the accident caused by the collision of the loco trains.
Meanwhile, the Railways said the trains involved in the collision had no connection with it.
"It is clarified that this unfortunate incident occurred in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, involving a trolley used in the local transportation system during the construction of a hydroelectric project tunnel. The train referred to in the news reports is not an Indian Railways train, but a transportation system being used locally by the project team," the government entity said in a statement.
According to officials, rail-like vehicles are used to transport workers, employees, and materials for construction work inside the tunnel.
The project, being built between Helang and Pipalkoti on the Alaknanda River, will generate 444 megawatts of electricity through four turbines. The project is targeted for completion by next year.
