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Take over of Kashmir Press Club: Omar, Mehbooba blame BJP for ‘demolishing free press’
The statement came after a group of journalists led by Mohammad Salim Pandit entered the Press Club and declared themselves to be the new interim body of the KPC, which will hold elections for the new club.
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Former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday blamed the BJP’s policies for undermining and demolishing the free press in Kashmir and blamed some journalists for forcibly taking over the Kashmir Press Club with help of the administration.
The statement came after a group of journalists led by Mohammad Salim Pandit entered the Press Club and declared themselves to be the new interim body of the KPC, which will hold elections for the new club.
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah termed it a “state-sponsored coup”, while sharing pictures of the KPC being taken over by a group of journalists in the police presence. “There is no government this “journalist” hasn’t sucked up to & no government he hasn’t lied on behalf of. I should know, I’ve seen both sides very closely. Now he’s benefited from a state sponsored coup,” said Abdullah in a tweet.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti blamed policies of BJP for undermining Kashmir Press Club. “GOI doesn’t want a debate on the oppression unleashed in J&K. Deliberately delaying KPCs registration is an attempt to throttle real issues flagged by local journalists here. Free press is the fourth pillar of democracy but BJPs policies seek to undermine & demolish it completely,” tweeted former J&K chief minister and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti.
Salim Pandit who described himself as new interim president of club said that he was founding president of the Kashmir Press Club and was asked by the journalists and several groups to take the charge of press club as the term of present press club had expired in June and club was in a mess.
“Our’s is an interm set up for conducting of free elections of the KPC. The police was not accompanying us but enforcing Covid norms outside the club.”
In a joint statement, nine journalist bodies expressed anguish over the illegal and arbitrary takeover of the Kashmir Press Club by some journalists with open support from the local administration.
“On January 15, the day when the administration had declared weekend lockdown in view of Covid surge, some journalists barged into the club office and forcibly took control of the club by keeping the office members hostage. Large number of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed beforehand for this highly condemnable and completely illegal move,” the statement said ,adding that the administration, by allowing few disgruntled elements to hoodwink the Club constitution and flout all norms of law, has set a wrong and dangerous precedent.
“The authorities had already communicated about the mandatory re-registration, which was initiated but it took authorities more than six months to verify the credentials of the management body. On December 29, the registration was finally issued, following which the club decided to initiate the process of fresh elections and also announced the date. But all of a sudden a group of journalists, including some non members approached the district administration with a proposal for an “interim body” and it is followed by a communication from the government that the re-registration has been kept in abeyance.”
The statement further said this move, in which a group of journalists self-appointed itself as an “interim body,” is uncivil, illegal, unconstitutional and without any precedence.
“It has been taken at a time when the process of registration is still pending before the authorities.
All journalist bodies are unanimous in view that this unfortunate move by a disgruntled lot has set a dangerous precedent by forcing their way into the club office in violation of the KPC constitution and bylaws.”
