Media organisations demand time bound parliament mandated probe into alleged Pegasus snooping
Several office bearers of media organisations and veteran journalists addressed a protest meeting cum press conference at the Press Club of India premises convened by PCI on Thursday condemning the alleged “Pegasus” surveillance on forty journalists, parliamentarians, ministers and members of jury etc demanding a parliament mandated high level, time bound enquiry at the earliest to arrive at a definite conclusion as to who is behind this highly sensitive matter, encroaching upon the constitutional rights of free speech and expression, thus demoralising the fourth important pillar of democracy.
Anchored by the president of Press Club of India, Umakant Lakhera, the meeting cum press conference was addressed by veteran journalists, former and present editors of repute viz. Prem Shanka Jha, Mrinal Pandey, M. K. Venu, Sanjay Kapoor, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Santosh Bhartiya, Ram Sharan Joshi, Jai Shankar Gupt, S. N. Sinha etc.
The founding editor of The Wire, which published the sensational story on “Snoopgate” leading to tremendous furore in Parliament, with opposition parties demanding an independent high level enquiry, M. K. Venu said that though he is the victim of the alleged “snoopgate” as said by senior scribe Umakant, but I consider myself to be a jubilant victim as I’ve become the victim because I spoke the truth as a journalist.
Terming the present attacks on media as vicious, constant and unceasing , Venu said that the “Pegasus” SNOOPING is in continuance of kind of behaviour being done against media by Uttar Pradesh and central governments.
The recent raids on two media houses for voicing against the ruling political dispensation is a clear cut example of the ongoing attacks on press freedom said Venu.
Highlighting the incidents of increasing deliberate harrasment and victimisation of journalists by rapping false serious cases against them Venu said that not even veteran journalists like 75 year old Mrinal Pandey was spared by framing her in a false case with arbitrary sedition charges rapped against her. The case is currently under process in courts.
He disclosed how he and co founder of The Wire Vardharajans’ phone were snooped upon when on somebody’s advise, I reluctantly send my phone to France and acknowledged confirmed news about our phones being hacked after putting them on Surveillance by Brazil based NGO’s “Pegasus, to our utter shock and dismay. He demanded a time bound parliament mandated enquiry at the earliest to expose the reality behind this snooping.
The veteran journalist, formerly editor of Times of India n renowned columnist Prem Shankar Jha said that this recent case on surveillance on journalists is nothing new. We need to know the difference between the Pegasus snooping and earlier surveillance on journaliste. It has always been there. The successive governments have always been keeping a vigilant eye on journalists but there is no doubt that these days this is being done with the sole intention to crush the dissent said the veteran journalist.
Former editor of Hindustan n chairman Prasar Bharti, septuagenarian Mrinal Pandey, against whom a case of sedition is already going on in the court, while referring about the recent raids on Dainik Bhaskar n another news paper of UP said that she already knew that such tactics of pressure and harrasment would be started against those who have the courage to criticize them. She added that this government and the top leaders are the most insecure lot who believe in levelling false and fabricated charges against journalists not even sparing those above 60 years of age like sedition, raiding media organisations in order to demoralise them. This unambiguously shows their insecurity and withering confidence.
The general secretary of Editor Guild of India n editor of Hard News, formerly with English Blitz Sanjay Kapoor while extending his organisation’s total support to Press Club of India said the way media organisations are coming forward to register their cumulative protests, he is very much hopeful that the government will have to change it’s course of action ultimately giving up its ill conceived designs against the media. He optimistically said that this united effort of The Wire and other international organisations will ultimately compel the government to change its ways as no amount of its pressure will be able to hide the startling realities behind this, being revealed finally.
Strongly criticising the BJP led NDA government for continuously victimising the journalists by either slapping sedition cases on them, raiding their establishments to crush dissent and snooping on them through Pegasus, the IWCP president Vineeta Pandey said that those in power should take it in mind that if they are in power today, they will out of it tomorrow. She said that snoopgate with finally result in the downfall of the BJP led NDA government.
Another victim of snoop gate senior journalist and former Rajya Sabha MP Santosh Bhartiya in his address to journalists condemned the alleged surveillance on journalists and demanded a parliament mandated JPC enquiry.
While concluding the protest meeting cum press conference the Press Club of India passed a resolution with unanimous support of the journalists raising their hands in unison, condemning the alleged spying on journalists, MPs n ministers including members of judiciary on strongest possible terms demanding parliament mandated JPC enquiry in the snoopgate.
While commencing the press conference and introducing the veteran journalists on the dias, PCI president Umakant Lakhera said that after India sought independence, the Pegasus snooping is the biggest case of alleged spying on journalists, ministers, MPs n members of judiciary terming it as a direct invasion on democratic institutions.
