An Indian blogger who was critical of the NDTV coverage of the terror attacks in Mumbai has been gagged by the television company's laywers.

Chyetanya Kunte, who lives in the the Netherlands penned a post slamming Indian private television channel New Delhi Television (NDTV) and particularly their group editor Barkha Dutt’s coverage of the incident.

Dutt has been criticised worldwide for her sensationalist coverage of the terror crisis. She has been accused of broadcasting sensitive information about the position of hostages and security troops. Some bloggers feel that she sensationalised the coverage to the point of being hysterical.

However the post saying something like this was deleted from Chyetanya’s blog, and on 26th of January, 2009 he posted this apology confirming unconditional withdrawal of the post.

Barkha Dutts has posted on Facebook that Chyetanya Kunte was served with a legal notice on 3rd of January. She said that because some random bloke can sit at a computer and make up stuff doesn’t mean he or others like him need to be dignified with responding to their utter and total rubbish.

In other words it is ok for television reporters to make stuff up but if someone suggest that television reporters might have done the same thing it is libel.  If it is not worth responding then why sue him for libel.

Most bloggers point out that the only reason that Kunte shut up was because he didn't have the money, or the energy, to fight a television company's lawyers. 

She has not sued Wikipedia for running its comments about how during her reporting of the Kargil conflict  Admiral Sureesh Mehta insinuated that she may have compromised the security of the troops by giving away locations which lead to the death of three Indian soldiers.

Nor has she managed to shut down the Facebook group "Barkha Dutt for worst journalist in the world" which has more than 1,400 members and has accused her of being melodramatic, arrogant and insensitive to relatives of victims by sticking a microphone in their faces.

The television company has also not shut down Newswatch, a media watchdog based in Delhi which called Dutt the "worst anchor" and the "worst presenter" for sensationalizing the Mumbai terror attacks.

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