Editors Guild of India holds meet to express solidarity with journos
New Delhi: Editors Guild of India on Saturday held a meeting in solidarity with journalists who have been named under sedition charges for their personal remarks on January 26 incident.
Editors Guild of India president Seema Mustafa who along with senior journalists had called the meeting witnessed journalist Rajdeep Sardesai who has also been charged present.
Addressing his fellow journalists, Sardesai refused to get into the case in any form and said, "Today's journalists stand divided, either someone is left, right or centre and I won't get into that debate today. On sedition whether you are a journalist in Manipur or in Kashmir, whether you are a Congress ruled state or BJP ruled state, there should be complete unanimity with journalists that we are discussing this law and the greatest India went to jail on this law. The time has come for all of us to be in one voice that sedition is an unacceptable charge against journalists."
Other journalists came in solidarity and said they need to raise their voice against the law. Speaking on the same Mustafa said, "Many of the experienced journalists never thought that we would be sitting at a time when we are going to face what journalists are facing in one year. The law of sedition which should have been abolished a long while ago has been used recklessly. Law of sedition that should have been abolished is being used continuously to harass journalists. It is a constant thing. Somehow the message is to shut us up. You can make a mistake, you might not but to face a charge like sedition to be told that you can arrested any moment without any hearing, this is only being done to intimidate and harass journalists against whom these cases are being filed but also to terrorise the profession as well."
The journalists had passed resolutions asking everyone in the fraternity to extend their support despite their political views. The India Today Group Thursday took senior journalist and anchor Rajdeep Sardesai off-air for two weeks and deducted his salary for a month as part of disciplinary action over an incorrect tweet, and announcement on live television, that the man who
had died during the farmers' tractor rally in Delhi on January 26 had been "shot."
Meanwhile, Delhi Police has picked up Mandeep Punia the journalist associated with Caravan, sources have said. He has been detained. An FIR will be registered against him at Alipur under section 186 IPC (obstructing public servant in the discharge of his public functions). He is being taken for a medical examination. Allegation is that he was trying to open the barricades that were put to stop locals from reaching protest site, sources further said.
