Opposition leaders call the take over of the Kashmir Press Club by a new body, a 'state-sponsored coup'. A group of people came into the press club with armed policemen and declared themselves, the 'new management.'
An attempt to take over the Kashmir Press Club (KPC), the Valley바카라s biggest organization of journalists, has rattled the journalistic community with political and media organizations condemning it and calling it an act of disgrace and 바카라state-sponsored coup.바카라
A few journalists have declared themselves as the 바카라new body바카라 and the press club has been locked for journalists, for the first time since it was set up in 2019, which has over 300 journalists as members.
On Friday the administration suspended KPC's re-registration certificate, leading to speculation that the government wants to take control of it which has been at the forefront to raise concerns of journalists for the past two years. The press club has issued statements condemning the arrest and detention of journalists and has shown solidarity with journalists working in Kashmir whenever they face any trouble
On Saturday a group of journalists led by M. Saleem Pandit, who works for the Times of India, entered into the press club and announced that they have 바카라taken over바카라 the club's management.
바카라The new body has pledged to ensure the welfare of journalists as its top priority,바카라 Pandit said in his statement issued from press club mail on Saturday afternoon. He accused the existing elected body of delaying 바카라elections for unknown reasons바카라. However, many members of the club have said that they are not with him.
According to eyewitnesses바카라 heavy deployment of armed policemen were seen outside the press club during the takeover. The elected general secretary of the club Ishfaq Tantray called the exercise illegal saying the staff of the club were 바카라threatened바카라 to hand over seal and writing pads. 바카라They told office boy to move out of the computer and then mailed their statement from it. It was all illegal,바카라 says Tantray.
Hours after the take-over, the elected body issued a statement of nine journalist unions through the press club's official WhatsApp group and email. It said: 바카라All Kashmir-based journalists have expressed anguish over the illegal and arbitrary takeover of the Kashmir Press Club by some journalists with open support from the local administration. On January 15, the day when the administration had declared weekend lockdown in view of Covid-19 surge, a group of journalists barged into the club office and forcibly took control of the club by keeping the office members hostage. Large number of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed beforehand for this highly condemnable and completely illegal move,바카라 the union's statement reads.
바카라We appeal to the press bodies across the country including Press Council of India, Press Club of India, Federation of Press Clubs and Editors Guild of India to take a strong note of how the local administration is supporting lawlessness and throttling a democratic media body," the statement further says.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called it a state-sponsored coup. Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the move. 바카라State agencies here are too busy overthrowing elected bodies & firing govt employees instead of discharging their actual duties. Shame on those who aided & facilitated this coup against their own fraternity,바카라 she said.