PRESS CLUB OF INDIA STRONGLY CONDEMNS LODGING OF FIR AGAINST NEWS RADAR JOURNALIST IN HP

Always standing in solidarity and support of journalists who are harrassed and victimised at the pan India level , the biggest organisation of the journalists Press Club of India has strongly condemned the Fir lodged against the News Radar journalist in Himachal Pradesh demanding immediate withdrawal of the FIR against the journalist who wrote an analytical article. In a message on social media handle the Press Club of India chief and senior journalist Gautam Lahiri has said that the practice of silencing media through FIRs has regretably becoming a common place in several states , irrespective of which the party holds power. In a hard hitting press release issued today signed by the PCI president Gautam Lahiri it is said that the PCI has come to know through reports that the Himachal Pradesh police in Shimla have lodged a first information report against a journalist namely Sunil Chadha working with News Radar. Journalist Chadha have been constantly confronting daily harrasment in view of his analytical reporting in the Haryana elections. The practice of silencing media through FIRs have regretably become commonplace in several states , irrespective of which party holds power. The PCI chief Gautam Lahiri while strongly condemning this attitude of the Himachal Pradesh government Gautam Lahiri said that it stands in solidarity with the journalist Mr.Chadha in defense of Press freedom reminding the government headed by Congress that the freedom of press is the corner stone of democracy and justice. The Press Club of India having a membership of more than 7 thousand journalists called upon the HP CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tk immediately withdraw the FIR against the journalist Mr.Chsdha and also ensure that the state’s police are properly and adequately educated about the role and functioning of the media to ensure non occurance of such blunders against journalists in future.