Restore Kashmir Press Club's registration, start process of election of office-bearers: PCI


PTI | New Delhi | Updated: 16-01-2022 18:44 IST | Created: 16-01-2022 18:44 IST
Restore Kashmir Press Club's registration, start process of election of office-bearers: PCI
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  • India

Expressing concern over a factional feud at the Kashmir Press Club, the Press Club of India (PCI) on Sunday demanded its registration be restored and the process for electing office-bearers in a peaceful manner be initiated.

Reports about a faction of journalists having taken over the management of the Kashmir Press Club (KPC) with support from the local administration amid a heavy police deployment are "a cause of concern and distress", the PCI noted and appealed to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene in the matter.

The PCI also objected to the presence of police at the KPC premises, calling it "highly condemnable and totally illegal." The KPC witnessed unfamiliar activities on Saturday when a few journalists accompanied by policemen reached there and claimed to be its ''new management'', a move that came hours after the Jammu and Kashmir administration had put on hold its registration.

The policemen claimed to be Personal Security Officers of one of the journalists who released a statement to the media stating that ''some journalist forums'' had chosen them to be new office-bearers.

The claims of the interim body were countered soon by a statement issued by around nine journalist bodies in Kashmir who denounced the ''forcible takeover'' of the KPC office with ''open support from administration'' and termed it ''a wrong and dangerous precedent''.

''The Press Club of India is deeply concerned over developments in Kashmir Press Club, Srinagar where an attempt has been made to deliberately derail the democratic process of holding elections and throttle the body of journalists," the PCI said in a statement.

''The Press Club of India demands that democratic process of holding elections to the Kashmir Press Club be allowed to proceed in a peaceful manner," it said. Only the democratically elected body of journalists has a right to run the affairs of the KPC in Srinagar as per its bylaws and constitution, it said.

''The Press Club of India appeals to the Lieutenant-Governor of Jammu and Kashmir to look into the matter, restore registration of the Kashmir Press Club and facilitate the process of elections which had already been set in motion," it added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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