The Uttar Pradesh government has asked all divisional commissioners and district magistrates to collate and probe negative reports published by news outlets, saying it will seek explanations from media houses to explain if it is found that facts were “twisted or falsified” to mar the image of the state government. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (ANI)

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In an order dated August 16, principal secretary to the chief minister, Sanjay Prasad, said it was necessary to investigate the facts in negative news reports expeditiously because it hurts the image of the state government.

“If the state government comes to know that the facts have been twisted or the negative report has been published on the basis of incorrect facts to malign the image of state government or district administration, the respective district magistrate will send a letter to the media group/newspaper’s management for clarification and a copy of the same will be marked to the information department,” said the order written in Hindi.

The order further said that the negative news report would be registered and uploaded on the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS) portal and forwarded for action to the respective divisional commissioners, district magistrates and heads of department.

“No interim report in this regard would be accepted,” the order said, adding that district magistrates will send a letter to the respective department and the district magistrate’s office will upload a scanned copy of the letter on the IGRS portal.

While there have been some instances of FIRs being lodged or action taken against the journalists, this is the first time such an order has been issued in recent years.

The order, which comes less than a year before general elections, kicked up a political storm.

Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the BJP government.

“Newspersons should be cautious, if you write anything against the government, then there will be action against you. This is a conspiracy to finish democracy. Imagine today they are gagging press freedom, tomorrow will stop people from speaking. Then by posting their person in the election commission will get one family’s votes scattered to four to six booths. They are getting opposition leaders punished through courts,” Yadav said at a press conference on the sidelines of his Lok Jagaran Abhiyaan in Fatehpur.

Uttar Pradesh Working Journalist Union president Haseeb Siddiqui said the issue was very sensitive. “Who will decide whether a news is negative or positive? This will ultimately harm the state government,” said Siddiqui.

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The standing chief counsel for Uttar Pradesh and former chairperson of the UP Bar Council Prashant Singh Atal said this is in no way an attack on freedom of the press. “The intent of the chief minister is to enhance bureaucratic and police functioning and for that it necessary to bring all the negative news reports to the CM’s knowledge.”