Expressing "grave concern" over the summoning of journalists of a newspaper group in Andhra Pradesh over their articles, the Press Council of India (PCI) has issued a notice to the state government and police chief seeking the facts of the case.

PCI Chairman Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad expressed "grave concern" over the summoning of four reporters and two desk journalists of Sakshi newspaper to Mangalagiri police station in Guntur on Monday so that they could be quizzed about the source of news stories on land dealings in the Amaravati Capital Region.

"The chairman felt that prima facie, the action of Andhra Pradesh police to ask the reporters to disclose the source of their reports impinged on the freedom of the press," PCI said in a statement here.

It said that taking suo motu cognisance of the issue, the PCI Chairman has ordered that a notice be sent to the AP government, DGP and the Guntur Superintendent of Police to immediately send a report on the facts of the case.