Editors Guild of India today condemned what it termed as the arbitrary detention of journalists in Kashmir.
“The Editors Guild of India is shocked by the casual manner in which the editors of Kashmir based publications are routinely detained by security forces for reporting or for their editorials. The case in point is the recent detention and the subsequent release – after many hours – of Fahad Shah, editor-in-chief of The Kashmir Walla, a Srinagar based publication. This was the third time that Shah was detained for his writings. His is not the only case. There are scores of journalists who are experiencing this new normal where they can be hauled up by security forces for writing anything that goes contrary to the government narrative that peace has returned to the valley,” the EGI said in a statement.
“The EGI demands that the state administration creates circumstances where the press can report on news and express opinion without any fear or favour,” the statement said. The EGI statement was signed by Seema Mustafa, President; Sanjay Kapoor, General Secretary; and Anant Nath, Treasurer.