NEW DELHI: Various media organizations joined forces at a meeting here to protest against the decision to take NDTV India off-air for a day, terming it “arbitrary and violates the fundamental principles of freedom of expression as enshrined in our Constitution.”

The meeting urged the government to immediately quash the order as the decision amounted to uncalled-for censorship and was in utter disregard of already established redress mechanisms - Press Council of India and National Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), which have been specifically constituted to look into such issues.

“It is unfortunate and condemnable that the Central Government has resorted to extreme measures when press freedom is already under increasing threat in the country. This sends a dangerous signal to the entire media and undermines the safeguards under the democratic right of free of expression enshrined in the Indian Constitution,” the resolution at the meeting organized at the Press Club of India here said.

“We demand that the government immediately withdraw (revoke) the order in the interests of Indian democracy,” it added.

Organizations represented included the Press Club of India, Editors’ Guild, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Federation of Press Clubs, Delhi Union of Journalists, News Broadcasters Standards Authority, Indian Journalists Union and Press Association.