The Hindu : Allow the press to work without fear, says CM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 10, 2003

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Other States - Punjab

Allow the press to work without fear, says CM

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH NOV. 9. The Tamil Nadu Assembly's resolution sentencing top journalists and the Managing Director of The Hindu to 15 days' imprisonment for alleged breach of privileges has evoked strong reaction from major political parties and journalists' organisations in Punjab and Chandigarh.

Both the Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, and Leader of the Opposition, Parkash Singh Badal, expressed their concern at the order, terming it "undemocratic as it was a direct and unprecedented violation of the freedom of the press".

Capt. Amarinder Singh said: "The press must at all times be allowed to work and express itself freely and fearlessly." He hoped that in keeping with India's great democratic traditions and values, the Tamil Nadu Assembly would reconsider its decision and drop all action against the Editors of The Hindu and others.

Mr. Badal warned that any assault on the freedom of the press would undermine the democratic fabric of the country and strike at the roots of the very values for which the freedom fighters laid down their lives.

The newsmen's right to report and comment was an inalienable part of the freedom of thought and expression.

He supported the stand taken by the Editor and management of The Hindu and said the Shiromani Akali Dal would do everything within its capacity to ensure that the freedom of the press did not come under any kind of threat from any quarter.

The secretary of the Punjab unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Joginder Dayal, said the incident would go down as a "black day" in the history of India's legislative democracy. "Targeting a newspaper like The Hindu, which, since its inception 125 years ago, has come up as an icon of quality and objectivity in journalism, cannot be acceptable to anybody with the slightest respect for democratic values," he said.

President's intervention sought

Meanwhile, 10 major media organisations, under the umbrella of the Chandigarh Press Club, demanded immediate intervention by the President and the Prime Minister in the matter.

The organisations also appealed to the members of the Tamil Nadu Assembly to rescind their decision in the overall interest of preserving democratic norms and values.

According to a unanimous resolution, the Chandigarh-based journalists "severely condemned the blatant act of repression by the Tamil Nadu Assembly and the State Government".

The resolution expressed concern at the incident, saying "not only has it exposed the grave threat to the freedom of the press as well as the right to expression granted in the Statute, but also indicated the growing levels of intolerance to the expression of dissent". It underlined the need to institutionalise "freedom of the press" after a public debate on the matter.

The resolution was supported by The Tribune Employees' Union, the Coordination Committee of Chandigarh Newspaper and News Agencies Employees, the Chandigarh Journalists' Association, The Press Club of Mohali, the Haryana Patarkar Sangh, the Chandigarh News Photographers' Association, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Press Gallery Committee, the Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, the Small Newspapers' Association and the Chandigarh-Punjab Journalists' Association.

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Allow the press to work without fear, says CM