Takeover of Kashmir Press Club is illegal Arbitrary- IJU
The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) has expressed shock and dismay at the takeover of Kashmir Press Club and said the illegal and arbitrary act by a self-appointed group of journalists backed by the New Delhi controlled administration was completely unacceptable.
In a statement issued on 17th January 2022, IJU President K. Sreenivas Reddy and Secretary-General Balwinder Singh Jammu termed the takeover as yet another brazen instance of attack on media and freedom of expression by the administration. The IJU demanded immediate restoration of status ante.
Ever since the border state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two union territories in August 2019 free media and free speech are under continuous battering. Journalists are subjected to various forms of attacks including illegal arrests. The arrest of 26-year-old Sajad Ahmed for posting a video of the protest and his continued detention despite bail is the latest example, the IJU leaders said.
On the day the Kashmir Press Club was forcibly taken over there was the large-scale deployment of police and paramilitary forces betraying the complicity of the administration. A complaint to the Press Council of India is also being forwarded requesting to take up the issue sue moto, the IJU leaders said.
K. Sreenivas Reddy
President