The Editors Guild of India has called for an immediate lifting of the media gag imposed on journalists and media in Kashmir, which was announced three days ago by the Jammu and Kashmir government.
For the past three days several editors have said that certain newspapers had not been allowed to function. In a statement released on Sunday, the Guild immediate lifting of the censorship imposed on the media.
The full statement is below:
The Editors Guild of India strongly condemns the efforts by the Jammu and Kashmir Government to gag the media in the state. The police was sent in the early hours of the morning into the offices of the local media in Kashmir with the printing presses being seized along with the copies of the newspapers that had just been printed. Reports suggest that the journalists and other staff working in Greater Kashmir and Rising Kashmir were detained, harassed and their mobiles taken away by the raiding police parties.
It is extremely unfortunate that the State Government, under fire for its poor management of the law and order situation in the Valley, has sought to shoot the messenger. The Editors Guild notes that the two main English newspapers of Kashmir, Greater Kashmir and Rising Kashmir, are run by responsible editors and journalists and report events with sobriety.
We are also aghast to note that the media censorship will continue, for a minimum of three days if not more. This is a direct assault to the freedom of the press in India and the Guild strongly condemns this unwarranted muzzling of the media. The Editors Guild of India requests the State Government to immediately lift the censorship and refrain from any action to intimidate the press.