Media bodies slam authorities for 'curtailing' press freedom

NEW DELHI: Media bodies on Friday raised concerns over incidents of alleged misuse of the law by authorities in India to "intimidate" journalists and "curtail" press freedom.

The Press Council of India on Friday expressed concern over the alleged threat of criminal prosecution and questioning of an Indian Express journalist by the Delhi police and asked its commissioner to submit a report on the matter.

Since the matter affects the free functioning of the press, while taking suo-motu cognizance of the matter, a report on facts of the case is being called for from the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, the print media watchdog said in a statement.

The Press Club of India, meanwhile, condemned the slapping of sedition charges on an editor of a Gujarati news portal and the reported filing of 10 FIRS against six journalists in Himachal Pradesh, saying such actions are a "blot on our democratic aspirations".

In a statement, the Press Club of India said going on the basis of a "string of seemingly malafide actions" against journalists by Bjp-run states and the Centre-controlled Union Territories, it calls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi,

Union Home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda to step in to bring "sanity to the proceedings".

The Vienna-headquartered International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and

leading journalists for press freedom, also expressed "grave concern over the misuse of the

law by authorities in India to intimidate journalists and curtail press freedom".

"The rapid decline in India's press freedom is alarming," IPI Director of Advocacy Ravi R Prasad said.

The Indian government has resorted to various tactics to prevent independent media from criticizing the government and reporting about the pandemic, the IPI alleged.