Channel involved in fake sting operation was sans licence: Dasmu

New Delhi, Sep 7 (UNI) The Live India TV channel that carried out the so-called sting operations allegedly to frame a Delhi school teacher had no licence to operate by the name.

The disclosure was made by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi while talking to reporters after a meeting with broadcasters on the draft broadcasting bill here tonight.

He said the TV channel was earlier running by the name of Janmat and later it changed its name to Live India, which was done without obtaining permission from the Government. The licence was issued only for the channel in its previous name, he added.

The Minister said the police was carrying out the investigation and the truth will be brought out soon.

Moreover, he said, the News Broadcasters Association(NBA) was also inquiring into the matter.

He said the sting operation issue was discussed during the meeting and there were two views on the matter. One favoured that they should be allowed in public interest.

Sunil Chaudhary, CEO of Live India, was also present in the meeting and he assured the Minister of his full cooperation with the Police and the NBA in the investigations.

Uma Khurana, a mathematics teacher of the Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya of Central Delhi, was shown in the sting operation as running a prostitution racket and making pornographic films, featuring her presence and former girl students.

The airing of the episode had led to mob violence near Turkman Gate in Central Delhi's Daryaganj area on August 30 last.

Police investigation done so far, however, suggest that the sting operation was fake and so far no evidence had been found against the teacher. Meanhwile, Live India reporter Prakash Singh who carried out the operation and the girl Rashmi who posed as 'victim'student have been arrested. Singh is the fourth person to be arrested in the case. Earlier, Uma Khurana and her alleged accomplice Virendra Arora had been arrested and were presently under judicial custody.

UNI