#JournalismUnderAttackInIIOJK
New Delhi: Strong reactions continue to emerge following the recent summoning of Srinagar-based journalists by Indian police in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The Editors Guild of India (EGI) expressed concern over what it described as the “continued repression of legitimate journalistic activity,” while the Digipub News India Foundation condemned the actions as a grave assault on press freedom.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the reactions come amid reports that several journalists, including freelancers and staff of certain Indian dailies, were summoned to Srinagar’s Cyber Police Station, where they were harassed and questioned about their reporting. The inquiries reportedly are linked to the January 13 news report on the profiling of mosques and imams in IIOJK. The move has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum in the territory barring the BJP.
In its statement, the EGI said it “notes with grave concern the continued repression of legitimate journalistic activity by the authorities in Kashmir.”
“In the latest instance, several journalists, including many affiliated with leading national media organisations, were repeatedly summoned to Srinagar’s Cyber Crime Police Station, where they were questioned about routine news reports,” the statement, signed by the Guild’s president, general secretary, and treasurer, said. The statement said said that some journalists “were also pressured to sign bonds or affidavits stating that they would not undertake any activity that could disturb the peace,” without clarity on what such activity entailed.
The Guild emphasized that “arbitrary summons and police questioning of journalists, and attempts to obtain affidavits under duress, are tantamount to coercion and intimidation of the media in pursuit of its legitimate duties.” It further noted that such incidents represent “the latest instance of increasingly threatening, intimidatory, and coercive actions against professional journalists by the Kashmir police.”
“Numerous instances of journalists being summoned and questioned by the police have been reported in the past,” it added. Calling on the IIOJK authorities to desist from such practices, the Guild said these actions restrict free speech and prevent the media from performing its core functions.
Meanwhile, Digipub News India Foundation also issued a statement condemning the “latest persecution of journalists in Jammu and Kashmir”. “Available information indicates that the summons were linked to routine reports on the profiling or surveillance of mosques, imams and madrasas, factual stories based on publicly stated information,” the statement said.
“Criminalising such public-interest journalism and coercing reporters into signing bonds without due process constitutes a grave assault on press freedom,” it said. Digipub News India Foundation called upon the BJP-led Indian government and concerned authorities to immediately “cease the practice of summoning journalists, subjecting them to prolonged questioning, and coercing them into signing bonds or undertakings”.
