Prominent media persons like former editor-in-chief of The Hindu N. Ram and founding editor of The Wire Siddharth Varadrajan have urged media houses to “stay vigilant” against the government’s bid to gag the freedom of expression in the country.
By Mohammed Naushad Khan
NEW DELHI: Various media-related organizations including the Press Club of India, Delhi Union of Journalists, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Association, Kerala Union of Working Journalists, Editors, authors, civil society members, and social and human rights defenders gathered have expressed solidarity on the first anniversary of raids on the NewsClick and to defend Independent Journalism at a function at the Press Club of India premises two days ago.
“Stay vigilant” was the warning that leading media persons gave their colleagues at a meeting to defend Independent Journalism. The warning came on a day that marks one year of the raids on over 70 journalists associated with the digital media platform – NewsClick – and the arrest of its founder-editor Prabir Purkayastha under the UAPA. The meeting also marked the fourth year of the arrest of journalist Siddique Kappàn under draconian provisions of the UAPA.
Siddharth Varadarajan, one of the founding editors of The Wire, said, ‘The first victory the Modi government scored after 2014 was ensuring that the bulk of television media succumbed to official diktats. Television by 2016 has become dull, uniform, and pro-establishment except for one channel NDTV.”
While referring to the NDTV case, he said, “The reason the case was instituted and the reason the case was closed was to bring NDTV to heels. Now mission have been accomplished, the utility of the case no longer existed and the book was closed. We have seen this for the opposition also but let us be very clear about the case that are being filed against journalists, freelance reporters, raids on the Newsclick and its promoters, and journalists under very serious and draconian and false charges under UAPA, PSA. The entire reason why this rein of cases is being filed is to silence Independent media.”
“We cannot be complacent and let our vigilance down. The solidarity that we have shown with News Click and others who are facing the threats of criminal cases, needs to be strengthened,” he added.
N. Ram, a former editor-in-chief of The Hindu, while sharing his message online, said, “The Military style assault on the News Click marks the lowest point for media freedom in India since the emergency of 1975-1977. This is not essentially a story about the police running riot, it is a political story, a story of an authoritarian regime at war with a medium-sized progressive and Left oriented digital news network and the independent critical challenging journalism that it represents. For all of us, Prabir is a symbol of resistance against the authoritarian state’s attempt to suppress the Independent, critical and pro-people media.”
In an online message, P Sainath, noted author and columnist said, “This regime continues to erode journalistic freedom at a frightening pace. We have seen very large-scale repression and gross actions in the past in our history, I could not find in the case of a crackdown in a single publication in a single operation and also, I could not find a precedent either during the emergency or even during the British Raj. The Newsclick did not grovel and surrender to the regime. We can start looking at October 3 as the anniversary of the beginning of resistance to such arbitrary crackdowns on press freedom. I would like to express my solidarity with all journalists resisting such an attack on press freedom and their integrity.”
Earlier, Gautam Lahiri, President of the Press Club of India, in his opening remarks, said, “India is the only country where there is no national media policy and that is why whether it is a central government, corporate house or even in the state governments they are trying to purchase the media and the media houses. Many journalists are suffering in many states and are being hounded by the government for exposing them.”
Prabir Purkayastha, founder of NewsClick said, “I am humbled for the kind of solidarity I have received throughout and it gave me courage and confidence to keep my fight on and on. The devices that were seized during the raids of our staff members have not been returned yet and we are not sure if all data and the archives can be retrieved.”
A joint resolution was unanimously adopted to continue resisting in peaceful and democratic forms the assault on the freedom of speech and expression of the media. Noting that the right to work and to profess one’s occupation and profession is a constitutional right, journalists and all those associated with the profession have to be given the right to practice and profess their occupation under this right.
The resolution noted that the State should provide as mandated under the Directive Principles, effective provisions for securing the right to work and an enabling environment for guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression of every citizen including the media. The right to life, a fundamental constitutional right cannot exist without the right to work. The two are inextricably connected.
“The seizure of professional equipment like laptops, phones and computers without following due process and for an indefinite period amounts to an attack on livelihood and the right to work without intimidation,” it said.
“The new amendments to the IT Act, features in the Broadcast Bill aimed at regulating content on grounds of public interest and national security go beyond the scope of reasonable restrictions and militate against the spirit of freedom of speech and expression. The new labour codes restrict the right of association and legalize the short duration ‘fixed term employment’ which will make hire and fire easy,” the resolution noted.
The programme was also addressed by senior journalist Neelu Vyas, Jaishankar Gupta of the Press Council of India, S. K Pande of the Delhi Union of Journalists, T.K Rajalakshmi of India Women’s Press Corps, and D. Dhanasumod of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (Delhi unit). Sujata Madhok of the Delhi Union of Journalists coordinated the event.
