As a fallout of the Tehelka hidden camera expose on the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, the Ahmedabad collector has banned three television news channels on the ground that it might incite violence in the communally-sensitive district.

District Collector Dhananjay Trivedi is also the district election officer.

Trivedi has banned the broadcast of Aaj Tak and CNN-IBN for an indefinite period as telecast of this programme might incite violence in the communally-sensitive district, official sources said.

Later, the ban was also imposed on NDTV in the district as a precautionary measure, the sources added.

The ban on television channels is limited to Ahmedabad district while no other collector has taken such step, the sources informed.

The district collector had sent a letter to cable operators of the city to stop telecast of the channels.

Sources in the state Election Commission said they have not given any such order to ban television channels and the decision was taken independently by the district collector.

The ban comes after towns and cities in the state witnessed black out of Aaj Tak by cable operators when the expose was telecast last evening.