Journalists vow to defend right to profess occupation at Press Club of India
By Sunil Negi
New Delhi: While lamenting BJP led government’s continuous assault on media, the Indian journalists on Thursday resolved to defend right to profess their occupation, which they claim is in peril.
At a large gathering at Press Club of India precincts, journalists displayed solidarity and emphasised that right to life and right to work are inextricably linked together.
“The right to life, is fundamental and Constitutional right cannot exist without the right to work, ” said a resolution passed unanimously at the protest meeting that was held at the behest of five top Groupings comprising of five major journalist fraternity in the country representing majority of scribes.
The five journalist organizations , which have been waging a relentless pursuit against the Modi government’s continuous onslaughts on media included mainly Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, and Press Association .
The occassion was to remind the completion of a year of government’s illegal and uncalled for large scale raids on popular news web sites newsclick.com.
The noted journalists who shared their views and experiences with the fraternity cautioned against the government’s ill-intention over the notorious ammendments to IT act and broadcast bill that are aimed at stifling the voice of dissent.
“The new labour codes ristrict the right of association and legalise the short duration ‘fixed term employment ‘, which will make hire and fire easily, ” the resolution pointed out.
Addressing the journalists at PCI “The Wire” editor Sidharth Vardharajan while expressing his serious concern over the increasing attack on journalists, media freedom and free expression said that ferocious and vicious attack on media freedom, arrest of Prabir Purkayastha chief of the News click etc has compelled us to gather here in large number. The first major expression of journalistic fraternity was in 2017 when raids at the residence and premises of senior journalist Prannoy Roy, the proprietor of NDTV were conducted by CBI under the directions of the then government which were completely malafide as the actual conspiracy behind these raids was to exert pressure on media platforms , especially NDTV after 2014 to ensure that media succumbs to the government pressure.
Raid was organised, harrasment of promotors continued and then after years of continuous harrasment and victimisation the TV channel was acquired by Adani group and the CBI finally coming to the conclusion that they are closing the case.
Vardarajan emphatically said that the case was instituted and raids done to accomplish the mission to buy NDTV and they finally succeeded in their mission said Vardharajan.
He said now the government is not in a comfortable position, getting only 240 seats and running it on the support of others but cases are still being filed against free lance journalists, raids on News click conducted on utterly false and draconian charges, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakraborty arrested and put in jail for several months and journalists harassed and victimised in J n K , Punjab.
Criticizing the saffron party government Vardharajan said that the journalists are being pressurised, threatened and victimised in order to force them to either surrender or submit to their pressure.
This is happening in every state, the free Lancers, You tubers and independent journalists are their most deadly enemies said the editor of “The Wire” who too was the target of the ruling political dispensation adding that though after getting merely 240 seats in 2019 general election the government has not changed its plans to silence independent media, social media platforms and regular journalists.
Cases are still being filed but the government is facing dissent. Hindutwa watch twitter handle has been blocked. I am gratified to see that but some lawyers are saying that this is like stifling the media freedom. They are the saffron party sympathisers.
Continuing his tirade against the government senior journalist Vardharajan said that the climate activist Sonam Wangchuk is detained , Ladakh MP and Delhi CM weren’t allowed to meet him after imposing arbitrary 163 ( erstwhile 144 prohibitory orders).
The digital media is being continuously throttled and people working on digital media through conceived designs of the government are still being harrassed and frightened. 20 media organisations were banned said the senior journalist Vardharajan.
He urged the journalist present at the meeting that they should also stand in solidarity with journalists being harrassed and victimised in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab etc as criminal cases are being filed against them.
After Modi getting only 240 seats there is some relief of course but the ill conceived designs of the government is still continuing said Sidharth Vardharajan saying further that earlier Tehelka was attacked , victimised but the way media organisations have been continuously showing solidarity since then with the journalist fraternity it highly laudable said the Wire editor.
The editor of News Click who was arrested under draconian Unlawful Activities ( Prevention) Act and jailed for several months now released on bail Prabir Purkayastha said that he don’t want to be sympathised for being jailed. It doesn’t look good at all.
Speaking on the raids conducted at the News click offices and his residence etc Prabir Purkayastha said that no devices like laptops, mobiles etc have been returned till date by FSL and the News click archives taken after dismantling have not been returned till yet as well which was a treasure house of knowledge material to News click adding that we are heartily honoured that entire journalist fraternity is standing in solidarity with them.
He said : I don’t need praise because I have been arrested. During the last ten years we are seeing that diversity has elapsed and television news which had played a vital role as well as the print media have been fully compromised these days. In Digital media and alternative media things have changed phenomenally said Purkayastha.
He said : Today we can put our video in social media. Social media has become very paramount. There is a ban on Fact Check Unit. We need air, land, water and people for us are everything . Coming down heavily on the government he said in Hindi : The methods of government have not changed, but it is now difficult to stop the voice of the people. How will you pay the country’s crores of people? Whoever tries to stop the people at this time will have to suffer losses as the Junta is the biggest and strongest power. They know everything. They can’t be oppressed or fooled now. Any king who tries to stop them will act foolish. Our freedom of speech, thought, writing is in the hands of the people and no one can stop it warned the News click editor speaking in Hindi. He concluded saying – we have to confront them and fight back proactively said Prabir of News click.
Kindly recall that NewsClick faces five parallel investigations by the Delhi police, Enforcement Directorate, income tax department and the CBI on multiple charges, including terrorism, for allegedly accepting funds illegally from Shanghai-based US investor Neville Roy Singham.
The veteran journalist and former President of Indian Press Association Jai Shankar Gupta said : The attacks on media freedom are happening regularly. These days dissent is not there because UAPA , PMLA, Sedition Act comes into force. In Manipur the situation is extremely threatening. The journalists are not safe. We should unite against attacks on journalists, media freedom, victimisation, harrasment said Jai Shankar Gupta adding that we should be fully prepared to confront this situation and be prepared for sacrifices while confronting the powers that be. Even judicial decisions are not justifiable. Journalists are behind jail for several months but nothing is being done to give them justice. Even there have been attempts to make Press Council of India functionless, dormant, defunct.
There is no new appointment since the last one year.Criticising the government he catagorically said that speaking against the government these days amount to being labelled as anti national facing serious consequences like rapping up charges under sedition. We should unitedly stand in support of the journalists being victimised in states, regions and at the centre irrespective of any language be in English, Hindi or of any regional language emphasised Jai Shankar Gupta.
Senior digital journalist Neelu Vyas while speaking said that today all stood together in solidarity with journalists especially when majority of journalists are being threatened and are apprehensive to write independently. The fight is getting tougher despite the government not in individual majority.
My immediate family , brother, children are being targeted by my standing with the citizens, against the ruling political establishment. She added that the Government is arrogant. Anyone who writes or speaks against them is labelled as anti national, and cases of sedition wrapped against them.
This is not a very comfortable time. We are all paying a heavy cost. Every journalist is suffering this way or that way. There is resistence of the government. Every journalist is scared of being arrested . My family, my mother are suffering, asking me to be little neutral. I don’t know how to balance my writing.
It is better to say and write what your mind and heart says said Neelu Vyas adding that you have the government who holds you by the neck and 95 % of the television channels has gone awry, because of the fear, not reporting justifiably. The president of the Press Club of India Gautam Lahiri introduced the guests and the speakers to the the audience and said that the main objective of organising such solidarity meetings visto unite journalists from time to time and apply hammer of the powers that be to mend their ways and let journalists and free, fair and impartial journalism prevail. He felt the urgent need for establishment of the National Journalist Council to check the big media houses serving the purpose of governments rather than looking after the interests of journalists and free and democratic media. Others who spoke in this ocassion were the DUJ former President K.C.Pandey and T. Rajlakshmi, journalist. The veteran Journalists Mr. Sainath and N.Ram, Hindu who couldn’t attend the meeting due to unavoidable circumstances send their videos of solidarity with the journalists fraternity exhibited among the audience through screening. The meeting was ably moderated by senior journalist and DUJ leader Ms Madhok.
