CHANDIGARH: More than 100 Punjabi journalists at a meeting here expressed concern about Indian government’s tendency to muzzle the Press in Punjab. A five-member committee was set up to plan outa program of action to seek reversal of the government’s attitude.

The meeting was chaired by Harbhajan Halwarvi editor Punjabi Tribune who said the media could not allow itself to be spokesman of any party or group.

Speaking on the occasion Prof S.S.Dosanjh head of Journalism Department Agricultural University Ludhiana Prof Piara Singh Bhogal and journalist Sukhdev Singh strongly criticized the Indian government for blatant pressures all those sections of the media which tried to give a balanced coverage of the Punjab events. They specifically mentioned the case of Ajit and certain other media groups which had to suffer heavy financial losses owing to repeated confiscation of the newspapers by the police.

Prof Dosanj called upon media persons to boycott the Punjab government’s authorities unless they stopped putting pressure on newspersons.

Sukhdev Singh said that the plight of the media could not be viewed in insolation from the situation in which the society in Punjab found itself. He regretted that vast sections of the media kept silent when Indian State acquired fascist teeth through several enactments. Even later certain sections of the media struck secret deals with the establishment to ditch those seeking to give a fair coverage of the events and mentioned specifically the editors of the two local newspapers who adopted an ambiguous stand on pressures the media faced itself. He regretted that vast sections of the power of when Indian State acquired fascist teeth through several enactments. Even later certain sections of the media struck secret deals with the establishment to ditch those seeking to give a fair coverage of the events and mentioned specifically the editors of the two local newspapers who adopted an ambiguous stand on pressures the media faced.

Satnam Mahak of Ajit revealed that reports from numerous villages had been to the effect that scores of young men had been picked up by the police and their whereabouts were not known. Their parents think that the young men had been killed in fake encounters.

Harish Chander a Morinda based journalist narrated in detail the threats he faced to his life at the hands of police “cats” who visited him at odd hours. The “cats” were seen withdrawing to the local police station after they were told about the journalist’s absence from the house. Chander said the police wanted to finish him because he had truthfully reported that most people of Morinda Kharar and Chamkaur Saheb areas would boycott the elections subsequently cancelled.

The meeting in a resolution expressed solidarity with Harish Chander and warned the police “cats” against harming him.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991