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| ET management meets Swaraj | | Expresses concern over gagging of media by govt | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Dec 25: A delegation comprising Editor Early Times, its staff members besides Editor, The Northlines met senior BJP leader and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj to register their grievance of National Conference led coalition government's tactics to gag media particularly harassment of Early Times on one pretext or the other.
The delegation apprised Swaraj of the plight of J&K media which is facing onslaught on its freedom by the state government and its various agencies.
The delegation submitted a memorandum to Sushma Swaraj highlighting vindictive and biased attitude of the state government towards Early Times newspaper.
In their meeting, the ET management told Swaraj that ET is a 9-year old publication well received by the readers adding that the bold and independent stance in the projection of the issues of public importance has not been palatable to the present Government.
"As a result we have been invariably threatened to face the consequences in case we do not toe the official line particularly projecting the CM on the front page," the management further said
Giving detailed account of the whole issue, the leader of the opposition was told that the things started flaring up with the publication of news item of an attack on a temple at Anantnag based on the Press Release of the Police Control Room which was carried by other publications too. Making this news item the pretext for launching a harassment campaign the authorities sealed our Press and Office on July 1 without any prior notice. Interestingly, the formal notice was issued after the seizure of the Press and the Office, she was informed.
Besides registering a criminal case against us U/S 505 the Editor-in-Chief and the Managing Editor were singled out by the police for harassment and heaping humiliations. The police also started surveillance of Editor's home and used other coercive measures. Last but not the least, the Information Department of the State also stopped Government Advertisements to ET since November 26 to the volume of Rs 2 Lac per month, the management informed Swaraj
Thereafter, taking the cognizance of another news item published on Septemebr 18 the police registered another case for which Editor-in-Chief and the Managing Editor had to arrange a bail from the court, BJP leader was told.
It was also disclosed to Sushma Swaraj that ever since the management particularly Editor were frequently summoned to the Police station and treated like criminals as the authorities went to the extent of taking his finger prints and photographs before media. As there was no change in ET's policy of publishing news in a free and fair manner, the Government using its official machinery started striking and harming our other business interests.
Accompanying ET Editor, the Northlines Editor RS Gill told Sushma Swaraj that the state government wants to control media.
"If any media organization refuses to toe the government line, the state information department and other agencies start harassing us," said RS Gill
He further informed BJP l;eader that with the wrong media policy of the government many organisations are facing closure.
"Government's media policy is faulty and its implementation is highly discriminatory due to which several small and medium papers have closed down and many others are on the verge of closure," Gill told Sushma
Sushma Swaraj gave a patient hearing to the management and assured that she will raise the issue at centre. |
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