Was 'permission for live coverage' of defence operations 'strategic negligence'? Akhilesh Yadav asks government

Lucknow: A day after the Centre issued an advisory to the media to avoid live coverage of defence operations, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday questioned whether the "permission for live coverage was a strategic negligence".

The central government on Saturday issued an advisory to the media to avoid live broadcast of defence operations and activities of security forces, saying that giving such information may knowingly or unknowingly help hostile elements.

SP chief Yadav said in a post on X on Sunday, "Was the permission for live coverage of special operations from the security point of view a strategic negligence or was it motivated by political propaganda, the government should immediately clarify this. Tomorrow again the government will say that 'this is the second mistake after one mistake'." Akhilesh Yadav further said, "This clearly means that there is unwanted encroachment of media in a very sensitive area like security." He said, "Enemies will also see the live coverage, which will give them information about the location of our security forces and their strategy, this will put the security of the country and the lives of our soldiers in danger.

"Strict punitive action should be taken for such live coverage. Any compromise with the security of the country and the soldiers is not forgivable." On Tuesday, terrorists opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam, a major tourist destination in south Kashmir, killing 26 people. Following the attack, the government issued an advisory to the media on reporting of defense matters.

"In the interest of national security, all media platforms, news agencies and social media users are advised to act with full responsibility while reporting on matters related to defense and other security-related operations and strictly follow the existing laws and rules," advisory issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.