Srinagar, July 09, 2020 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, journalists staged a protest demonstration against the so-called media policy introduced by the fascist Modi government in India for Jammu and Kashmir, last week. The new media policy gives authorities the power to accredit Kashmiri journalists and news outlets, distribute government advertising and determine what constitutes false news or incitement.
It gives the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) the authority to monitor media outlets and journalists in Kashmir for misinformation, fake news, plagiarism and anti-India activities. The DIPR also will determine who is “impanelled”, or accredited, and will control allocations for government advertising.
Journalists were riled by the policy and staged a protest demonstration at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, carrying banners that read “Don’t Gag Media” and “Down with Media Policy 2020”. They demanded the immediate rollback of the policy.
“Under this stifling policy, before publishing any article, we have to report to the government to take their permission,” Rashid Rahi, President of the J and K Editors Association told media. “It is a threat to journalism in Kashmir,” he said. “The new media policy is clearly aimed at gagging freedom of press. Media persons in Kashmir have been reporting facts against all odds and braving tough conditions,” Mir Arshad, General Secretary of the media association said.
In the last few months journalists have been summoned to police stations and forced to present themselves to explain their stories. Photojournalist Masrat Zahra was booked under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which is anti-terrorism law and under this law a person can be jailed for up to seven years.
In another instance, police also booked journalist and author Gowhar Geelani for “glorifying terrorism” and indulging in activities deemed “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.” In his plea, Geelani has described the complaint against him as “vindictive and calibrated to wreak vengeance”.
These were not isolated incidents. It followed on the heels of a similar case where the police issued a summons to Peerzada Ashiq, a journalist with The Hindu newspaper. Ashiq’s report was about the family members of two martyred youth who were refused the bodies of their deceased kin.
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Kashmir Media Service
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