Muslim clerics in Tral, a scenic south Kashmir town, have issued a diktat to cable operators to stop beaming “obscene” channels in Tral.
Muslim clerics in Tral, a scenic south Kashmir town, have issued a diktat to cable operators to stop beaming “obscene” channels in Tral.
Cable TV came recently to this town after years of it being cut off from the mainstream. However, on Friday, Muslim clergy issued a diktat to a gathering at a local mosque asking cable operators to stop telecasting channels that did not fit with the social order.
“We have received complaints from the local people that some channels are very obscene and are not compatible with our social and religious norms. Therefore we have issued an appeal to the cable operators not to show them,” said Moulana Noor Ahmad, a prominent Muslim cleric in Tral area.
Moulana denied allegations that they have asked the cable operators to shut their operations. “There are some good channels which should be beamed. Religious and other decent channels pose no problems. The cable operators too have agreed to act on our advice”, he said.
Tral has a long history of violence and militancy. Given is topography, it was known as Tora Bora of Kashmir where gunbattles between security forces and militants were a routine affair. The area was manned by BSF which along with army and police were involved in the anti-insurgency operations. Though militancy has ebbed, moral policing is continues.
Cable operators and police are in fix over this instance of moral policing which has a potential of spreading to other parts of the valley. “We have not received any diktat from anyone about our operations”, said a cable operator requesting anonymity.
SSP Awantipora Bashir Ahmad Khan sought to play down the incident saying there was no problem as far as cable operations are concerned. “There was a religious congregation at Tral where people were discussing the social evils. Clerics have spoken about obscenity and mobile phones, cable TV, drug menace and other evils. There were no specific threat to cable operators”, he said. Cable operators, he said were still in process of laying cables. “People have DTH at home and they have had no problem”, he said.
Kashmir has had several instances of moral policing over the last 20 years. Cable operations have been banned by militants at several times. Many a times, cable operators were attacked with grenades forcing them to take to streets in protest.
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