Ravish Kumar took to Facebook to challenge the Centre’s Narendra Modi government to come face to face in front of a LIVE camera if it wished to finish off the NDTV.
In a powerful Facebook post, Kumar wrote, “ So you intimidate and threaten us, even put everyone including the Income Tax Department against us. See we are trembling with fear.
Now put your stooges on social media into action to defame us. But in this season of the media playing your tune, sitting in your lap, there is one media house that has refused to do so. For you, success is when every Indian sings your tune, all media houses play your game, sit in your lap. NDTV did not come into being easily, even you know that.
If you are so gleeful to see our end, let’s come face to face some day on chairs. Before a live camera.
The brazen use of a central agency against a media house comes days after anchor Nidhi Razdan asked BJP spokesperson Sambhit Batra, known for his crass bullying, to leave her show.
Meanwhile the channel has also issued a strong statement that may be read here.
तो आप डराइये, धमकाइये, आयकर विभाग से लेकर सबको लगा दीजिये। ये लीजिये हम डर से थर थर काँप रहे हैं। सोशल मीडिया और चंपुओं को लगाकर बदनामी चालू कर दीजिये लेकिन इसी वक्त में जब सब 'गोदी मीडिया' बने हुए हैं , एक ऐसा भी है जो गोद में नहीं खेल रहा है। आपकी यही कामयाबी होगी कि लोग गीत गाया करेंगे- गोदी में खेलती हैं इंडिया की हज़ारों मीडिया। एन डी टी वी इतनी आसानी से नहीं बना है, ये वो भी जानते हैं। मिटाने की इतनी ही खुशी हैं तो हुजूर किसी दिन कुर्सी पर आमने सामने हो जाइयेगा। हम होंगे, आप होंगे और कैमरा लाइव होगा ।
ये एन डी टी वी का बयान है-
This morning, the CBI stepped up the concerted harassment of NDTV and its promoters based on the same old endless false accusations.
NDTV and its promoters will fight tirelessly against this witch-hunt by multiple agencies. We will not succumb to these attempts to blatantly undermine democracy and free speech in India.
We have one message to those who are trying to destroy the institutions of India and everything it stands for: we will fight for our country and overcome these forces.
REVISED STATEMENT OF NDTV
It is shocking that the CBI conducted searches on the NDTV offices and residence of the promoters without even conducting a preliminary enquiry. This is a blatant political attack on the freedom of the press as sources confirm that under pressure, the CBI has been compelled to file an FIR based on a shoddy complaint by a disgruntled former consultant at NDTV called Sanjay Dutt, who has been making false allegations and filing cases in courts of law with these false allegations. So far, he has not obtained a single order from any of these courts.
Legal analysts are astounded that where courts have rejected giving any order in all these years, the CBI conducts raids based on what is a private complaint.
The allegation appears to be for a loan which has been repaid by Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy more than seven years ago. (Scroll down for evidence of this.)
Even though lakhs and crores of rupees of dues have not been paid by several industrialists and no criminal case has yet been registered against any of them by the CBI, the CBI has chosen not only to register an FIR, but also conduct a search for a loan which has been duly repaid to ICICI Bank. Moreover, ICICI is a private bank.
The allegation that no disclosure was made to SEBI and other regulatory authorities is not only incorrect and false but also does not cloth the CBI with any power to register cases and search which further amplifies the fact that the search by the CBI is only a witch-hunt against independent media.
NDTV and its promoters have never defaulted on any loan to ICICI or any other bank. We adhere to the highest levels of integrity and independence. It is clearly the independence and fearlessness of NDTV's team that the ruling party's politicians cannot stomach and the CBI raid is merely another attempt at silencing the media.
No matter how much the politicians attack us – We will not give up the fight for freedom and the independence of media in India.