(Todos os links levam a sites em inglês)

Chyetanya Kunte é um blogueiro indiano radicado nos Países Baixos. No dia 27 de novembro de 2008, durante os ataques terroristas em Mumbai, ele escreveu um artigo em seu blog (agora disponível apenas através do cache do Google) criticando a cobertura do incidente feita pelo canal privado de TV indiano New Delhi Television (NDTV), em especial por parte da editora do grupo, Barkha Dutt.

A postagem foi excluída do blogue de Chyetanya, e em 26 de janeiro de 2009 ele publicou esse pedido de desculpas confirmando a exclusão permanente do artigo. Esse fato atiçou a fúria e causou uma forte condenação do acontecido na blogosfera indiana.

Gaurav Sabnis do Vantage point prediz:

It does not take a PhD in reading between the lines to guess what happened. NDTV probably sent Kunte a legal notice, asking him to pull the post down, apologize, never write about them again, and pay an absurdly massive amount of money.

Retributions confirma, citando uma mensagem de Barkha Dutts no Facebook falando que Chyetanya Kunte tinha realmente recebido uma intimação no dia 3 de janeiro. A editora aparentemente teria dito:

Just because some random bloke can sit at a computer and make up stuff doesn't mean he or others like him need to be dignified with responding to their utter and total rubbish. rubbish is what it is. And as already mentioned. Mr. Kunte has been served a legal notice for libel by NDTV. That should give you some indication of where we and I stand. The freedom afforded by the Internet cannot be used to fling allegations at individuals or groups in the hope that they will then respond to things that aren't worthy of engagement.

Gaurav Mishra do Gauravonomics Blog faz um resumo da reprovação por parte de blogueiros indianos ao amordaçamento de Chyetanya. Ele também revela:

Chyetanya sent me an email on January 25th, requesting me to take down the link to his post in my roundup of reactions to media coverage of the 11/26 Mumbai terror attack. I haven’t taken down the link and excerpt yet, but I have refrained from blogging about the issue so far out of concern for complicating Chyetanya’s and, perhaps, my own legal situation.

O fato é que Chyetanya não foi o único a criticar o NDTV. De acordo com Gaurav:

Bloggers were scathing in their criticism of Barkha Dutt’s sensationalistic coverage of the 11/26 Mumbai terror attack, accusing her of broadcasting sensitive information about the position of hostages and security troops, sensationalizing the news coverage, and being borderline hysterical, in general.

Nanopolitan fala a NDTV em uma postagem cujo o título é “parabéns NDTV“:

The apology you extracted reminds us of re-education programs that totalitarian regimes impose on dissidents. Or of re-induction rituals in third rate gangster movies.

Gargi do POV escreve:

Amongst the institutions that has rapidly lost my trust, especially in the last two years, is the broadcast news media. Between the Prince episode, the Arushi Murder Case, running recorded footage with live bugs, with the 26/11 coverage – i have stopped watching TV news. I read magazines, i read newspapers and I read blogs. I do these because i have far more faith in the credibility of those who write – than the credibility of those who produce and package news on TV.

As últimas notícias das reações da blogosfera indiana podem ser encontradas em Desipundit. Blogbharti posta um apelo:

We urge all bloggers to send us their views on this issue. And to protest NDTV’s highhanded efforts to curb our freedom of speech.