SEAMLESS pouring of journalists at PCI to register their silent protest. 16 media organisations write to CJI

Several media organisations under the auspices of Press Club of India held a peaceful protest meeting at the PCI precincts on Wednesday with hundreds of journalists from various newspapers, electronics channels, PCI members, freelancers, writers and even advocates of supreme Court and High Court participating in it to register their protest against the attack on media freedom, free speech by way of arbitrary raids on the residences of several journalists. The journalists were holding play cards denouncing the arbitrary action against journalists during the recent raids n confiscating their laptops and mobiles etc and interrogating them till the evening hours for no alleged fault of their except fulfilling their professional responsibility of writing columns or news stories for the portal which is the part of their professional duty etc. Several journalists tagged black play cards on their chest displaying ” FREE THE PRESS. In order to maintain the peace and dignity of media community all the learned journalists simply displayed play cards etc and didn’t raised any slogans. They did came at the gate of the PCI holding play cards advocating press freedom and free speech etc exhibiting their symbolic protest and expressing solidarity with the cause. Prohibitory orders were imposed outside the PCI. There were good number of policemen, paramilitary personnel outside the press Club including Delhi police officers. The seamless pouring of journalists started after 2.30 PM after the journalists likely to assume at Jantar Mantar were not allowed to protest as there weren’t according permission by Delhi Police authorities. By four o clock evening the press Club was fully packed with journalists arriving in large numbers. The Booker prize winner author Arundhati Roy, senior journalist and columnist Paranjoy Guha Thakur, Swarayjya India leader and earlier psephologist Yogendra Yadav, leading activist and advocate Prashant Bhushan, BBC senior journalist Mr. Jacob, The Wire editor in chief Siddharth Vardharajan, Delhi Union of Journalist leader Mr. Pandey, veteran journalist and activist John Dayal, senior journalist Sayeed Naqvi, PCI president Gautam Lahiri etc were actively present on this occasion. The veteran journalist and renowned columnist Paranjay Guha Thakurta who was also raided and interrogated by special cell of Delhi Police interacted with the media and shed light on how his house was raided by strong contingent of police personnel, his laptop, mobile and documents seized and he interrogated in the Lodhi Road special police station for hours together. The president of Press Club of India Gautam Lahiri and the chief editor of The Wire Mr. Vardharajan read the four page letter sent to the chief justice of India Mr. D. Y. Chandrachud getting the unanimous approval of all the journalists present at PCI precincts. The letter signed by the heads of sixteen media organisations sent to the CJI said that the letter was not intended to bypass or circumvent the process and procedure established by the law but to check the inherent malice in the process that entails summoning of journalists and seizure of their devices in the name of investigations. The media organizations have sought the pivotal intervention of the chief justice of India of the apex court in framing norms to discourage the seizure of journalists phone and lap tops on a whim as has been the case, ” firming us guidelines to interrogate journalists and seize documents or gadgets from them and to ensure that this is not done as ” Fishing expeditions”, with no bearing of actual offences, apart from fixing accountability of state agencies. The letter adds : As journalists and news professionals we are always ready and willing to cooperate with any bnafide investigations. However, ad hoc sweeping seizures and interrogation surely cannot be considered acceptable in any democratic country , let alone one that has begun advertising itself as the mother of democracy. Kindly recall that There were attempts in between by some mischievous elements to create ruckus but their attempts to do so were countered with dexterity.