Radio Mirchi calls off tourist safety campaign
October 28, 2017  09:01
Days after a Swiss couple was brutally attacked by a group of men with sticks and stones at Fatehpur Sikri near Agra, the radio station Radio Mirchi (98.3 FM) ran a #MatAaoIndia campaign to draw attention to the problem of safety for tourists. It mocked the official tourism campaign and, in that same vein of sarcasm, asked tourists not to come to India.

The campaign ad, which was clearly a satirical spin on the governments official tourism slogan of Incredible India, ends with a warning Coming to India will be injurious to your health that was clearly meant to shame the authorities in Uttar Pradesh and the Centre  into taking their responsibility towards foreign guests more seriously.

Soon after Akash Banerjee, the radio stations vice president and regional programming head, tweeted the promo, on Thursday night, right-wing and nationalist Twitter handles started targeting him out for spearheading an anti-India campaign, lodged complaints with the information and broadcasting ministry and the Advertising Standards Council of India and demanded that the Times Group either sack Banerjee or be prepared for a boycott of the radio station.

The Smriti Irani-led I&B ministry has now issued a show-cause notice against Radio Mirchi. The notice claims that by discouraging foreign tourists from visiting India the radio channel has violated All India Radios program and advertisement code. The FM station has been asked to respond in 15 days on why they should not be penalised. A source at Radio Mirchi claimed that they still havent received the notice.
« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES