HYDERABAD, June 24: The cable operators of Hyderabad city are observing a strike since Sunday evening following closure of Indian TV channels under directives of police.

In several parts of the city the police asked the cable operators to refrain from running Indian TV channels.

These channels were closed some time back by the police but later on the cable operators again started running them without permission.

At a meeting with the cable operators last week DPO, Hyderabad, Moazam Jah, told them not to run the Indian channels, a cable operator said.

He claimed the cable operators had already closed the Indian news channels, sensing gravity of the situation regarding the stand-off with India.

He added a channel, of which the neighbouring country had purchased time and which was very popular among families, had to be closed down because mostly Indian programmes were telecast by it.

Another operator said they had to pay Rs25,000 for purchasing the card for the TV channel to seek permission for telecasting its transmission.

Meanwhile, equipment of a cable operator were taken away by the Latifabad police on Sunday night.

Asif Sarjani claimed the Latifabad police barged into his cable network system facility and took away 22 receivers, four decoders, four cards of a cable channel, six amplifier, four modulators and other items.