Notice to stop distribution of Indian channels

A Supreme Court lawyer has sent a legal notice to the government asking for an end to the telecast of Indian TV channels in Bangladesh within 24 hours.

Ekhlas Uddin Bhuiyan sent copies of the notice to the information minister, information secretary and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman trough registered post.

The lawyer told bdnews24.com that a writ petition would be filed if the government failed to stop the telecast of Indian TV programmes within stated time.

The notice says though cable operators give access to Indian TV channels in Bangladesh, the gesture is not reciprocated in India, where Bangladeshi TV stations are not allowed to be shown.

Referring to media reports, it says local channels are losing viewers ‘due to unabated broadcast’ of Indian TV programmes.

“The country is losing its culture. The programmes are having a negative impact on the juveniles and youths. Two persons committed suicide for not being able to buy the dresses worn by a character of a latest serial aired on an Indian TV channel,” the notice adds.

It says the dresses named after a character, Pakhi, of serial ‘Bojhe Na Se Bojhe Na’ aired by ‘Star Jalsa’ saw huge demand in Bangladesh in this year’s Eid.

It the letter also says that domestic helps have become so attached to these serials that they refuse to work unless they are allowed to see them.