Srinagar: Kashmir Press Club (KPC) was locked from outside, with journalists unable to enter the club premises, on Sunday, a day after the takeover of the club by a group of journalists, led by Saleem Pandit of The Times of India, who arrived with a large police force.
A notice put up at the club gate stated that it has been shut after the detection of a COVID-19 positive case and an email was sent to its members asking them not to visit the club located near the posh Polo Ground area of the city for one week.
“I was informed by the gatekeeper that two persons from the interim body told him to shut the gates of the club and not let anyone inside as a member had tested positive,” the manager of the club, Sajad Ahmad told PTI.
The illegal takeover of KPC evoked strong condemnation from prestigious media bodies, including Editors Guild of India, Press Club of India, Mumbai Press Club and Delhi Union of Journalists, on Sunday. The organisations said they stood by the KPC’s elected body and the nine other Kashmir-based journalist associations which had issued a joint statement condemning the illegal takeover.
The Editors Guild of India (EGI) said it was aghast at the manner in which the office and the management of KPC, the largest journalists’ association in the Valley, was forcibly taken over by a group of journalists with the help of armed policemen.
“The Guild is equally alarmed by an arbitrary order of putting the registration of the Kashmir Press Club “in abeyance”, a day before this armed takeover of the Club, on January 14, 2022, by the Registrar of Societies. The Club had been issued a fresh “re-registration” as recently as December 29, 2021 following a long process of verification of an application made by them in May 2021, in response to public notices issued by the Registrar”, it said in a statement, which was widely shared in the media.
According to the EGI, the “armed takeover” has effectively scuttled the rule-based functioning of the Club. “Even more disturbingly, the state police entered the premises without any due warrant or paperwork, and have therefore been brazenly complicit in this coup, in which a group of people have become self-declared management of the Club,” it said.
“This violation of the sanctity of the club by the police and the local administration is a manifestation of the continuing trend to smother press freedom in the state. Just recently, Sajad Gul, a young journalist was arrested for merely posting a video on social media, which showed a family protesting against the Indian government”, the Guild remarked.
“Editors Guild demands immediate restoration of the status quo before this hostile takeover, announcement of elections to appoint a new management body and executive council, and strict prohibitions on any armed forces from interfering with the functioning of the Club, without due legal sanction. The Guild further demands an independent inquiry as to how armed forces entered the Club premises”, the Guild statement said.
The Press Club of India said it was deeply concerned at the developments. “We demand that the democratic process of holding elections be allowed in a peaceful manner. We appeal to Hon Jammu and Kashmir LG @manojsinha to look into the matter and facilitate elections,” it said in a statement. It said that only a democratically elected body of journalists has the right to run the affairs of the club in Srinagar according to the bylaws and constitution of the Club.
The Mumbai Press Club in its statement asked for restoration of election process and registration of the ‘Club’ while asking the state “to stop inference in journalist bodies.”
“The Mumbai Press Club condemns the forcible takeover of the Kashmir Press Club (KPC) from the legally elected management body in conjunction with security forces on Saturday. The MPC also deplores the Jammu & Kashmir administration scuttling the Club’s election process the previous day, Friday, 14th January, by ‘holding in abeyance’ the registration of the Kashmir Club, which is registered under the Societies Act, 1860”, reads the statement.
“The Kashmir Club had applied for re-registration in May last year. This was required by an April 2021 notification after the abrogation of Article 370 for J&K, and the region was converted into a union territory. After a long ‘verification’ process by the District Commissioner, on 29th December, last year, a Registration Certificate under the Societies Act was issued to the Kashmir Press Club. However, soon as the Club Managing Committee announced elections to the 300-strong body, on 13th January, the administration issued an Order on the 14th of January, stating that re-registration of the Kashmir Press Club “is hereby kept in abeyance till the receipt of the final report from Additional District Magistrate, Srinagar,” it added.
‘This order effectively has put the entire 300-member journalist body in cold storage and negated the democratically called election process.’
“This being not enough, the next day, Saturday, 15th January, using the Covid lockdown announced for Srinagar, a group of journalists barged into the Press Club premises in the Polo View area and declared themselves to be an ‘interim’ body. The group who trespassed into the club premises were protected by the J&K Police. The KPC does not allow gun-bearing persons in the club premises. However, the J&K Police personnel installed themselves at the club’s gate and inside the club building. Significantly, the group that barged in and seized the club had lost the elections in 2019,” it said.
“This indeed beats the imagination of how the local administration and police had blessed the trespass and takeover of the Kashmir Club on 15th January by a rival group, a day after the local government had frozen the organization through ‘de-registration’ on 14th January,” it said.
“The Kashmir Press Club went through a democratic process of elections in 2019 and has been representing the voice of independent journalism in the Kashmir Valley for some time. To dub those who are writing and reporting in a balanced manner as ‘and-national’ is a cause of concern, and to derail a legally registered body from holding its own election process smacks of autocracy and is a violation of the freedom of the press guaranteed under the Constitution, it reads adding the Mumbai Press Club demands that the registration of the Kashmir Press Club be restored and that its legally elected body be allowed to conduct its election freely and fairly without threats and sans the shadow of the gun”, the statement further reads.
In a statement, the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) said it was dismayed at the “government move to close the Press Club of Kashmir.”
“Press Clubs everywhere are information hubs where journalists exchange information and views, enabling them to perform their jobs better. They are also places where journalists stop and rest between hectic deadlines, while they wait for the next interview, the next press briefing…..They are places to get an affordable meal and a drink and socialize with colleagues. Press Clubs therefore are invaluable for the profession. In Kashmir, where journalism is a tough, risky, dangerous profession, the Press Club has played a vital role,” read a statement, issued by DUJ.
“The authorities had renewed the licence of the Kashmir Press Club on December 29, 2021, after the issue had hung fire for months. Once the renewal notice was received the Press Club belatedly announced elections. Now the licence renewal has been suddenly cancelled, ostensibly because of an adverse CID report. This volte face is inexplicable,” the statement reads.
“It is singularly unfortunate that a division seems to have been created within journalists, with a small faction ‘taking over’ the Club when Srinagar was under a lockdown. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed during this process. Several associations of Kashmir journalists have signed a joint statement objecting to this ‘takeover’ of the premises.”
“We also note that the arbitrary arrests, detentions and questioning of journalists in Kashmir continue unabated. On January 5, 2022 Sajad Gul, a trainee journalist with Kashmir Walla, was arrested for fomenting anti-government feelings. Last year Salman Shah and Suhail Dar were arrested for ‘breach of peace’. Journalist Aasif Sultan has been in jail since August 27, 2018 and awaits trial,” it added.
“We call for greater democracy and freedom of the press in Kashmir today. We view the developments in the Kashmir Press Club as one more reprehensible attempt to intimidate journalists. We demand immediate restoration of the Club to the duly elected office bearers and a renewal of the license. There must be no government interference in the running of a journalists’ club,” it said.
The Press Club of India pointed out that “The claims of the interim body were countered soon by a statement issued by around nine journalist bodies in Kashmir who denounced this forcible takeover of the KPC office with “open support from administration” and termed it “a wrong and dangerous precedent”.
Reacting to the condemntation, the Pandit led group termed it “malicious propaganda” by a section of media quarters even as it requested the Editors Guild of India, the Press Club of India and the Mumbai Press Club in particular to know the other side of the story before jumping the gun.
In a statement, it said it was unfortunate that esteemed Editors Guild of India has gone by one-sided version over the smooth takeover of Club by its founding President till the elections of the otherwise defunct institution whose term ended six months ago, are held.
“The interim body took over the defunct Club on January 15 on the popular demand of the journalist fraternity who were otherwise facing problems on numerous fronts. The journalists wanted the institution be headed by founding president who had played pivotal role on the establishment of the Club, and other working journalists of repute to pave way for much awaited elections,” it said in an statement mailed from a newly created mail in the name of Kashmir Press Club.
Terming the entry of armed forces into Club for a ‘coup’, a figment of imagination, the interim body said: “The reality is that the policemen shown in the pictures were PSOs of one of the journalists. Moreover, it was a day of Covid lockdown in Srinagar district and on finding unusually big presence of visitors at the Club, the local police station was enforcing SOPs outside the club on the main road. So who were the ‘armed forces to have barged’ into the Club? Or is a Press Club supposed to be above law?”