Journalists boycott R-day function as senior journos’ barred entry, stage protest, JKEF condemns media restrictions

Srinagar:Media fraternity today boycotted the main republic day function at SK Stadium Sonwar after a few senior journalists were barred entry on the pretext that their verification report was adverse.
Angry over barring the senior journalists to cover R-day function, entire media fraternity boycotted the function. “The journalists should have informed me about the issue. They didn’t,” Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar Syed Abid Rashid said. He said he would have sorted out the issue on the spot.
Meanwhile, all the media fraternity assembled at the press club to chalk out the future course of action. The fraternity later staged a protest against the move and demanded authorities to come clear over the issue.
The media men marched from Kashmir Press Club to Ganta Ghar where from they were not allowed to proceed. The journalists later held a sit-in protest near Ganta Ghar here and demanded clarification from the administration in this regard.
Meanwhile, divisional commissioner Kashmir Baseer Khan asked media fraternity to submit the memorandum to him. “I will seek a detailed report from IGP Kashmir SP Pani over the issue,” he said.
Meanwhile Jammu Kashmir Editors Forum (JKEF) on Saturday strongly condemned the barring of media men to perform their professional duties on the eve of Republic Day parade at Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium here in Sonwar.
JKEF in a statement issued here on Saturday said that barring journalists from covering parade is an attack on the freedom of press.
“Barring journalists to cover R-Day parade at SK Stadium Srinagar depicts Govt’s callous approach towards media persons. The journalists are always bearing burnt and such actions indicate that how tough it is to work in Kashmir,” they said.
They added that JK editors always stand for the cause of media fraternity, thus condemn such action and appealed the authorities to look into the matter and ensure such actions are not repeated.