NEW DELHI: Government officials in India have ordered a popular news channel to go off the air for a day over its coverage of an attack on an Indian air base in January.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in an order Thursday that NDTV India is being penalised for broadcasting sensitive details of the attack on the military base in the northern town of Pathankot that left seven soldiers dead.

Authorities have blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack.

The news channel has said its coverage was fair and balanced and didn't include any details not aired by other newsstations. It said it is exploring all legal options to reverse the ban slated for next Wednesday.