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Editors Guild shocked by Gujarat case

NEW DELHI: The Editors Guild of India on Monday expressed shock at the “draconian and intolerant” action of the Ahmedabad police in filing a case of sedition against The Times of India, its Resident Editor and a reporter and photographer of another newspaper.

In a statement, the Guild urged the Gujarat government to ensure that the persecution of the newspaper and its journalists was stopped immediately. It also demanded action against the police for misusing the provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

The action of the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner smacked of vindictiveness as the newspaper had carried an article criticising him. “Sedition is a charge which was slapped on the Indian media by the colonial rulers during the freedom struggle. Abuse of sedition provision against the media negates the freedoms granted to the citizens by the Constitution.”

In a related statement, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) demanded withdrawal of the criminal case. Describing it as a “highly condemnable and deplorable act,” SAHMAT noted that it was aimed at throttling the freedom of expression of the media.

The FIR filed against the journalists exposed “the hypocrisy of the Sangh Parivar leadership and the administration run by it on the vital issue of defence of freedom of expression,” the SAHMAT statement said.

Referring to the role of the Gujarat police during the 2002 riots, SAHMAT added: “The latest unexplainable act of booking journalists in a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy proves that there is no room for any differing views in that State. The journalists booked in the case had merely written about the Police Commissioner on the basis of their investigation.”

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