20 April 2019: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) expressed its outrage over the direction of the Union Home Ministry to the Assam government to take action against one Assamese daily, three Assamese news channels and a news web site for their reportages on state wide agitation against Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), on the basis of a complaint of Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliated organisation.
The convenor of the RSS backed Legal Rights Observatory, Vinay Joshi in a letter to the Home Ministry alleged that Assamese daily, Asomiya Pratidin, its editor Nitumoni Saikia; three news channels, Pratidin Time, its editor Ajit Bhuyan, Prag News and its editor Afrida Hussain, News 18-Assamese TV channel and the news website, Inside NE and independent journalist Manjit Mahanta created unrest in Assam by exploiting the turmoil over the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 in December and January last. He alleged that through their writings they were helping the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) to recruit new cadre to foment trouble in the state.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Indian Journalists Union (IJU) President and Press Council of India (PCI) member Amar Devulapalli and Secretary-General Sabina Inderjit said that the direction of the home ministry to the Assam government to take action against journalists and news organisations for publishing news stories of widespread agitation against citizenship bill in Assam and also in other NE states was unacceptable and a stark attack on freedom of press and expression.
“IJU is surprised how the Union Home Ministry can act on the basis of a complaint lodged by an irresponsible organisation which has its root in religious bigotry. IJU holds that journalists and media organisations are duty bound to report news of a popular agitation involving masses. The so called organization, the Legal Rights Observatory is trying to curb freedom of press and media rights by intimidating with the help of the government,” the statement said.
The Union rubbished the claim of the RSS backed organisation that the reportage would help the extremist elements and said it was the duty of the media to inform the people even about the activities of the banned organisations. “If the Centre can talk to the extremist organisations of northeast and even meet them why media cannot publish interviews of the leaders of banned outfits if it is related to the problems of the state”, they asked.
The IJU demanded that the Central Government should immediately withdraw its direction to the state government to take action against five news organisations and four journalists as the action amounted to gagging of the press which was ultra vires of fundamental right to freedom of press enshrined in the constitution. It called upon the organisations of the working journalists and editors to come out and fight against such anti-democratic actions of the government. The IJU urged upon the Press Council of India (PCI) to take suo motu cognisance of the issue and direct the Union Home Ministry to withdraw the direction immediately.
