MUMBAI: After the abrogation of article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, there have been speculations all over the media about communication blackout in the valley. Commenting on the issue, Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said between 5 to 16 August, Kashmir’s TV channel DD Kashir saw 50 per cent increase in viewership from the Jammu and Kashmir region citing BARC data.

“Contrary to narratives carried by certain sections of foreign media on information blackout, viewership data released by BARC India reveals that between 5 Aug & 16 August DD Kashir saw a 50 per cent increase in viewership from J&K region and a 60 per cent increase from all over India,” Vempati tweeted.

Vempati also added that during the same period other prominent news channels also saw a viewership spike from the Jammu and Kashmir region as high as 30-80 per cent. Recently, the central government announced the decision of scraping the special constitutional provision of Article 370 that governed the relationship between India and the state of Jammu and Kashmir.