US based Journalists Beyond Borders condemned the police action on journalists and demanded immediate release of those held

NEW DELHI / NEW YORK (TIP): Media bodies on October 3 described the police action against those associated with NewsClick portal as yet another attempt to muzzle the freedom of press, expressing solidarity with the journalists whose premises were searched.

The Press Club of India, which demanded that the government should come out with the details of the matter, held a spontaneous protest meeting against the multiple raids. “The meeting resolved to continue protest by several journalists bodies for defending media freedom,” it said through its X (formerly Twitter) handle.

The Editors Guild of India (EGI) executive committee released a statement, expressing concern over the raids at the residences of senior journalists. “Their laptops, mobile phones and other devices have been seized. Senior journalists have been taken into custody by the Delhi police, allegedly for ‘questioning.’ Media reports suggest that the raids have been widespread,” it said.

Noting that the police action pertained to a First Information Report registered under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other provisions relating to criminal conspiracy and disruption of communal harmony, the EGI said, “While we recognize that the law must take its course if actual offences are involved, the due process has to be followed.”

The EGI said: “The investigation of specific offences must not create a general atmosphere of intimidation under the shadow of draconian laws, or impinge on the freedom of expression and the raising of dissenting and critical voices. We remind the government of the importance of an independent media in a functioning democracy, and urge it to ensure that the fourth pillar is respected, nurtured and protected.”

The National Alliance of Journalists, the Delhi Union of Journalists and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (Delhi Unit) also condemned the police raids at the Bhasha Singh, Urmilesh, Prabir Purkayastha, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Teesta Setalvad, Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakraborty, Mahesh Kumar, Subodh Varma, Aditi Nigam, Mukund Jha and others.

“Several of the media persons have been taken into custody. The Delhi police have also raided the homes of comedian Sanjay Rajoura and academic Sohail Hashmi…these raids are in connection with alleged foreign investments in NewsClick. The government has been targeting Newsclick apparently after the coverage this news portal gave to the issues of workers and farmers. We believe that this is yet another attempt by the Centre to muzzle the freedom of press,” said a joint statement.

It added, “We believe that this is yet another attempt by the Centre to muzzle the freedom of press. Such an action, raiding and intimidating almost all the employees in a media organization, is unheard of. The NewsClick management has been maintaining that whatever funding they have received was through legal sources and evidence for this have been submitted in the High Court of Delhi. These new raids are to divert public attention from burning livelihood issues of people.”

“Unfortunately, journalists are being targeted for furthering the political agenda of the ruling party. We condemn this with the strongest possible words. We will stand with these journalists in this matter. We urge the Centre to immediately stop this attack on press freedom. We urge the media fraternity to protest against this witch-hunt by the government,” the statement read.

DIGIPUB, in its statement, said: “This coordinated action of the police against news professionals and commentators clearly violates due process and fundamental rights. This has taken the government’s pattern of arbitrary and intimidatory behavior to a whole other level.”

US based Journalists Beyond Borders condemned the police action on journalists and demanded immediate release of those held, and called upon government of India to refrain from taking recourse to curb the freedom of the fourth pillar of democracy. Its President Prof. Indrajit S Saluja also called upon the journalists fraternity to voice their resentment and opposition to any attack on the freedom of journalists anywhere in the world. “Our strength lies in pour unity “, said Prof. Saluja.

Over a dozen media bodies on Wednesday, October 4,  sought Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud’s intervention on the issue of raids against those linked to NewsClick, a digital news platform. Media persons and activists also turned up in large numbers at the Press Club of India to protest the police action.

In a letter to the Chief Justice, the media organizations urged the courts to consider framing norms to discourage the seizure of journalists’ phones and laptops on a “whim”; and to develop guidelines for the interrogation of journalists and for seizures from them, to ensure that “these are not undertaken as fishing expeditions with no bearing to an actual offence”.

They also requested the courts to consider finding ways to ensure the accountability of State agencies and individual officers who were found overstepping the law or willfully misleading courts with vague and open-ended investigations against journalists for their journalistic work.

“[T]he developments over the past 24 hours have left us no option but to appeal to your good conscience to take cognizance and intervene before it is too late and an autocratic police state becomes the norm,” said the letter, adding that as journalists and news professionals, they were always ready and willing to cooperate with any bona fide investigation. The letter’s signatories were: Digipub News India Foundation; Indian Women’s Press Corps; Press Club of India, New Delhi; Foundation for Media Professionals; Network of Women in Media, India; Chandigarh Press Club; National Alliance of Journalists; Delhi Union of Journalists; Kerala Union of Working Journalists; Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists; Free Speech Collective, Mumbai; Mumbai Press Club; Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists; Press Association of India; and the Guwahati Press Club.