The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Thursday urged cable operators from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to restore access to local news broadcasters Sakshi TV, TV9, NTV, and 10T.

The CPJ called for the immediate restoration of the broadcasters, which have reportedly been blocked since June 6. CPJ India Representative Kunāl Majumder added:

The news of the blacking out of four news broadcasters by the Cable TV Operators Association is a disturbing one. It is crucial for the new Andhra Pradesh government to uphold the principles of a free and independent press- to ensure that all broadcasters, regardless of how critical they may be, can operate without interference or censorship. The public’s right to access diverse sources of information is fundamental to a healthy democracy, and any attempts to silence the media must be swiftly addressed and rectified.

S. Niranjan Reddy, a local Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) member, reportedly wrote to India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority arguing that the ban violates regulations ensuring fair interconnection among service providers and impacts press freedom.

According to local news source BIG TV, Andhra Pradesh cable operators decided to block the channels because their broadcasts were allegedly harmful to the state’s interests and development. This comes after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won the recently concluded state elections, defeating the YSRCP. Previously, the YSRCP had mandated watching Sakshi, inflating the channel’s viewership, but this dropped significantly following the election. The cable operators criticized the channels for supporting the former ruling party and spreading harmful news.

This decision reportedly threatens the revenue of these channels, which had benefited from substantial government advertising budgets under the YSR Congress.