- Oppn takes on Government for muzzling ‘free voice’
- Speaker assures media of hassle-free coverage
Srinagar: Much embarrassment to the Government, people from media fraternity Tuesday boycotted the special Assembly session called to discuss the Goods and Service Tax regime. However Speaker, J&K Legislative Assembly Kavinder Gupta met the media-persons outside the Legislature complex later and invited them for the coverage of the special session of the House on GST following some communication gap over the issue.
Media personnel decided to boycott the proceedings after the security men didn’t allow them to carry their cell-phones, cameras and laptops along with them inside the House. The Government move irked journos who didn’t enter into the House.
Ironically, Journalists were asked to keep their cell phones, lap tops and cameras outside in open, while employees from Department of Information expressed regret and took care of these gadgets.
The media personnel assembled outside the Assembly and staged a peaceful protest, denouncing government move. “The government move is aimed at to black out the proceedings as it doesn’t want us to report reality. This is utterly shameful and we condemn this sort of behavior and policy,” said a journo.
Inside the House, Opposition members raised hubbub and criticized the government for cowing down the media. “Something is at stake. For the first time such a thing has happened,” Legislator Tarigami said.
National Conference leader Ali Muhammad Sagar asked the Speaker to handover this House to Army and get all the legislators arrested. “You have allowed only DoorDarshan and Radio Kashmir to report the proceedings of the House which is a direct attack on the freedom of press,” Sagar said.
Congress legislator Nawang Rigzin Jora demanded action against those who tried to ban the media.
Engineer Rasheed said that the situation that had emerged during Emergency under Indira Gandhi and Zia-ul-Haq’s Marshall Law in Pakistan has been repeated in Kashmir. “What are you trying to hid by disallowing media,” he questioned.
The National Conference legislator Davinder Singh Rana said that government action tentamounts to muzzling the free voice of the media. “This is a blot on the democracy. You have brought disrepute to this House,” Rana said.
Cabinet Ministers including Abdul Rehman Veeri and Zulifkar Ali tried to persuade the journalist to end their boycott. “You are trying to muzzle our voice. It is really sorry to state the media houses have become victims under PDP’s rule,” said a journo to the Minister.
Media-persons refused to return to the House despite the government issuing a revised order, saying “it has now been decided by the authorities concerned that the journalists can carry video and still cameras and mobile phones inside the Press Gallery of the Legislature for the coverage of the special session.”
The media-persons demanded that the Speaker first come to meet them before they end their boycott.
Speaker Kavinder Gupta along with other legislators then himself met protesting journalists and ended the stalemate. The Speaker apologized to the journos who later on ended their protest.
