PEC expresses concern over arrest of Indian media persons
Geneva,Rongili Barta- Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, expresses concern over the recent arrest as well as raids of a media office in India’s capital city New Delhi, asserting that scribes should not be harassed for performing their duties. The police not only raided the office of NewsClick, a 2009 founded news site, but also sealed it later. They also raided the residences of many journalists & writers associated with it. As many as 45 suspects were questioned and a large number of electronic devices from their custodies were also seized by the investigating police personnel. The government authority alleges that the NewsClick management received a huge amount of money from China to support anti-India agendas. It is also stated that they pursued the Chinese propaganda to exclude Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir (or shown as disputed territories) in the map of India. By now its founder Prabir Purkayastha along with Amit Chakravarty were arrested under the harsh law (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) for spreading pro-China contents. “PEC supports each and every journalist across the globe who has been performing duties with all integrity & honesty. But as the Indian authority has accused the NewsClick family of indulging in anti-Bharat activities with the help of money supplied by the Chinese agencies in Beijing, it needs to be clarified (also verified). We urge New Delhi to release the media persons and give them ample scopes to defend themselves in the course of legal battles,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC (https://pressemblem.ch/pec-news.shtml). Meanwhile, a northeast India based scribe’s forum (Journalists’ Forum Assam) came out with a statement that no scribe should be harassed because of his/her profession, but at the same time none should play the role of a tool for an enemy nation in greed of money, said PEC’s India representative Nava Thakuria. He added that JFA president Rupam Barua has clarified that the profession should not allow anyone to indulge in anti-national activities for selfish interest. Barua also expresses dismay over the boycott of 14 television news anchors by the country’s opposition parties.