Hyderabad/New Delhi: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) took strong exception to the summoning of Auqib Javeed, a reporter of “Kashmir Observer” newspaper based in Srinagar by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) on Saturday and Sunday to question and elicit his professional and personal activities.
The NIA officers questioned Auqib Javeed habout the sedition case filed against Dukhtaraan-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi and two of her aides last week, it was reported. Earlier, he Auqib interviewed her for a magazine. The NIA officers also reportedly asked him about the interviews of various persons he did and types of news stories he has written. They also sought details of his education, including schooling and higher studies as well as his family background.
In a statement issued here on Monday, the IJU president S N Sinha, Secretary-General and member of Press Council of India (PCI) Amar Devulapalli and Vice-President Sabina Inderjit said the NIA summons to Auqib Javeed amounted to an attack on freedom of the press and meant to intimidate journalists in Kashmir, who were already working under difficult circumstances. They also regretted that the Centre was using the NIA as a tool to harass journalists in Kashmir and alienating them from the mainstream. Worse, doing interviews is part of the journalists’ duties and not a national security threat, they cautioned the NIA
“Earlier, the NIA arrested Photo Journalist Kamran Yusuf and the court threw out the case. We request Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to immediately intervene and stop harassment of journalists in a volatile State. We pledge our support to the journalists in Kashmir, who are yet to come out of the shock of assassination of “Rising Kashmir” Editor Shujaat Bukhari and we extend all possible support to them”, they said.
The IJU called on the Chairman of Press Council of India (PCI) Justice C K Prasad and urged him to immediately intervene in the matter by taking suo motu cognizance of the case and protect the journalists in Kashmir from the harassment of security and investigative agencies.(NSS)
