E-Paper
J-K government under fire for ban on local English newspaper
The Jammu and Kashmir government came under attack and was accused of curbing ‘freedom of press’ on Monday, a day after it stopped publication of a prominent English daily in the state.
The Jammu and Kashmir government came under attack and was accused of curbing ‘freedom of press’ on Monday, a day after it stopped publication of a prominent English daily in the state.
Scores of journalists working with local, national and international news organisations marched silently with placards to protest against the office of the directorate of information and public relations.
They assembled outside the office questioning “whether the state was under martial law to attract the measures of banning a newspaper”. The journalists also pasted a number of placards on the front gate of the information directorate with messages such as ‘Return of dark age’, ‘Revoke undemocratic ban’, ‘Stop harassing media’ and ‘Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance’.
“The government wants us to close our eyes and report what is favourable to them only. They don’t want us to report what is happening on ground,” said Neyaz Elahi, a journalist with a local news agency.
The government on Sunday ordered closure of the Kashmir Reader, saying the move was to maintain “public tranquillity”. Deputy commissioner, Srinagar, served a notice to the newspaper and asked its printer, publisher and owner to abstain from printing. The ban comes amid a wave of protests in the Kashmir Valley following the death of Hizbul Mujahideem commander Burhan Wani on July 8.
Srinagar bureau chief of Kashmir Reader Moazum Mohammad said the ban was a “warning shot” to other newspapers as well. “I believe every journalist should stand against this censorship. They say our newspaper is a threat to peace but the fact is that they are not able to control the situation on ground. What is happening on the ground is getting reflected in the newspapers. We don’t invent stories,” he said.
“For reporting what is obvious, they say it is threat to peace. It is not only us but other newspapers have been told to mellow down their coverage,” he added.
Editors and owners of some major local newspapers held a meeting here and tried to approach government officials to seek an answer.
In a statement, the Kashmir Editors Guild (KEG) described the ban without any prior notice as against the basic spirit of democracy as well as the freedom of press.
The government order, banning the newspaper, is vague and unclear about the charges for which such a harsh step has been taken, the Editors Guild said.
The Editors Guild also appealed the Press Council of India to take note of how the space for the Valley-based newspapers is being choked by the authorities.
Hardline Hurriyat Conference, led by Syed Ali Geelani, condemned the ban, terming it as “autocratic and undemocratic decision of puppet government”. He said it is one of the “darkest chapters in the history of press in Jammu and Kashmir”.
Independent MLA Engineer Abdul Rashid warned the government of consequences if the ban was not revoked.
“On one hand some so-called national TV channels have been given a free hand to defame and hurt the sentiments of Kashmiris but on the other hand any credible voice in J-K is being curbed with draconian laws,” he said. “Like other rulers, the CM has been making frequent sermons in and outside assembly to make fourth pillar democracy credible and strong, but in practice is following the footprints of Omar Abdullah, who buried the local TV channels in 2010.”
