Editors Body Perturbed at Sluggish Pace Of Shujaat murder Probe
SRINAGAR Kashmir Editors Guild (KEG) has condemned the criminal statement of BJP MLA Lal Singh Choudhary who has issued a direct threat to the Kashmir media.
In a not-so-veiled threat to journalists of Kashmir, a motor-mouth BJP leader and former minister in Mehbooba Mufti-led government Chaudhary Lal Singh asked media personnel to draw a line in their journalism and warned of a Shujaat-like incident (referring to murder of journalist Shujaat Bukhari) for creating a certain kind of atmosphere in the valley.
“Singh, who was earlier being termed as a serious sufferer of foot and mouth disease has moved way ahead and issued a direct threat to the media in Kashmir. He has alleged the Kashmir media of ‘creating a wrong atmosphere’. He has asked the media to decide ‘how you to have live’ and told them ‘manage yourself’ in wake of the recent assassination”, the statement said.
The threat was delivered in a presser by the BJP lawmaker, who was sacked by the party in the wake of his unflinching support to the rapists of six year old child in Kathua, in Jammu.
He has invoked Shujaats murder at a time when police in Srinagar is investigating the case.
“Singhs statement indicates that he holds some information about Shujaats murder and must be investigated”, Kashmir editors body said.
“KEG reserves the right to lodge a police case against the lawmaker who, earlier as well, named a number of reporters for his fall from grace in the wake of the Kathua probe, now in a trial stage”, the statement further said.
“The Congress-turned-BJP politician has seemingly talked on Kashmir media from a point of strength and possible information about the recent killing in Srinagar”, it said
KEG also said it was perturbed over the ‘sluggish pace’ with which the investigations in Shujaats murder are moving ahead.
“At the same time, KEG is keen to see the vilification campaigns that have been going around on social media for almost a year be curbed, investigated and immediately halted”.
“As a firm supporter of freedom of speech, KEG would like people to formally write instead of getting into shady corners of the internet and attack institution of journalism in general and individuals in particular.”
Taking dig at police, KEG said, in the last few days after Shujaats killing, all newspapers in Srinagar have been getting notices from the police seeking sources and details of certain news items that were published.
“This sounds ridiculous in wake of the fact that sources of all these items are part of the published material. KEG sees these notices as an attempt to harass the media and use the post-assassination shock to create the line that Lal Singh is talking about in Jammu.”
“Kashmir media has survived hell at huge costs in last three decades. KEG reiterates that it will fight all the onslaughts aimed at preventing it from recording the contemporary history, honestly and objectively”, the statement added.
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