Newspaper denies PFI, SIMI links

KOCHI: Intermedia Publishing Ltd, the company publishes 'Thejas' daily, has denied links with Popular Front of India (PFI) or the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India aka SIMI before the high court.
An affidavit filed by the company's managing director M Usman of Shornur said the newspaper is not a mouthpiece of PFI and its editorial board has no connection with SIMI or PFI."The allegation that actual owner of Thejas daily is Popular Front of India is absolutely false and hence denied and is without any substance," the affidavit said. The affidavit was filed on a petition filed by the company questioning state's decision not to grant government advertisements to 'Thejas'.
Denying the allegation that 'Thejas' is creating communal polarization, the affidavit points out that no major communal riots were reported from Kerala since 2006, when the newspaper began publishing. The accusation of financial link or other link between 'Thejas', PFI or with any other fundamentalist organization is based on suspicion and assumption and not on actual facts, it is alleged.