NEW DELHI: Press censorship imposed by the Government in Punjab on the eve of elections in the state has evoked widespread condemnation.
The Editors’ Guild of India described it as a blatant attack on the freedom of the press.
In a statement issued here on Monday, the Guild’s General Secretary, Mr Hiranmay Karlekar, said, “The Editor’s Guild of India strongly condemns the imposition of press censorship by the Punjab Government. It’s a blatant attack on the freedom of the press and is not warranted by the compulsions of holding the elections in Punjab con February 19. Censorship will only land greater credibility to rumors.”
The statement said, “The press in Punjab continues to be under pressure on the one side from the Government. By imposing press, censorship the state administration is making it more difficult for the press to play its legitimate role in connection with the elections. The Guild calls upon the Punjab Government to revoke its decision immediately and ‘unconditionally and the Government at the Center to compete the residents state administration in Chandigarh to do so if the later persists with its decision.
The People Rights Organization, a human rights group has expressed concern on then illegal and uncalled for censorship ‘of news”, and confiscation of ‘copies of some newspapers in the state.
The statement issued by the president of the group, Ms Latika Lahiri, pointed out that there was no censorship law operating in the stale and condemned unreasonable and unwarranted restrictions on redeem of the press.
The statement strongly condemned the dastardly killings of innocent citizens by terrorists of militant groups whose terrorism was even more dangerous as it obliterated the rule of law.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 28, 1992
