"Deeply anguished" at the shutting down of the Kashmir Press Club, the Editors Guild of India on Tuesday said the action sets a "dangerous precedent" at a time the space for media freedom and civil society has been steadily eroding in the region with journalists facing intimidation from terror groups as well as the government.
In a statement, the Guild said the shutting down of the Club is the "latest act in a sequence of disturbing events", wherein the re-registration of the Club was first arbitrarily put in abeyance followed by the shocking breach of institutional norms when a group of people, with the active support of state police and CRPF, took over the office and management of the Club.
The government action, which includes reverting the land back to the Estates Department, has "effectively dismantled" an "important journalistic institution" in a region that has "seen the worst kind state heavy-handedness" against any independent media. The Kashmir Press Club was established in 2018 and has more than 300 members.
"Space for media freedom and active civil society has been steadily eroding in the region. Journalists frequently face intimidation from terror groups as well as the state. They are also charged under heavy penal laws, and are routinely detained by security forces for reporting or for their editorials," the statement said.
The statement cited the killing of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari, registration of a case against Peerzada Ashiq for a report he filed in The Hindu, charging of UAPA against freelance photographer Masrat Zahra, sealing of Kashmir Times, detaining The Kashmir Walla Editor-in-Chief for the third time in March 2021 and arrest of Sajad Gul for posting a video of a protesting family on social media. It also referred to an advisory forbidding journalists from reporting live encounters on the "specious plea that it is 'likely to incite violence' or that it can promote anti-national sentiment".
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In a state ridden with such excesses against the media, Kashmir Press Club was an important institution for fighting for protection and rights of journalists. It also remained open through the lockdown, giving journalists access to important facilities like the internet for filing their work, as well as workshops for training young journalists. The shutting down of the Club, therefore, sets a dangerous precedent for media freedom.
The Guild reiterated its demand that status quo before the January 14 order of Registrar of Societies be restored with respect to the functioning of the Club, and that the state works towards building and protecting the space for a free press.
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