New Delhi, July 9: The Press Club of India and Indian Women’s Press Corps have expressed serious concern over the FIR against journalists Zakir Ali Tyagi and Wasim Akram Tyagi registered by UP police under Sections 196 and 353 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhinta (BNS) for reporting on social media the alleged lynching to death of a Muslim man in Shamli district in Western UP.
According to the statement, “We also endorse the statement issued earlier in the day by DIGIPUB, a coalition of more than 90 digital media outlets and independent journalists, which states: “Registering an FIR against journalists sharing information in public interest is a grave overreach and misuse of criminal laws that has a chilling effect. While the police has contested the nature of the incident, saying it was not communal in nature, there is no cause for filing cases against journalists who are putting out the information available to them.”
“Reporting publicly available information, irrespective of the medium of the message, qualifies as bonafide journalism. Such arbitrary application of BNS (is) tantamount to intimidation of journalists in direct violation of Article 19(1)(A) of the Constitution. We unequivocally demand the withdrawal of FIR against the two journalists,” said Ghakin Gautam Lahiri President, Press Club of India and Parul Sharma President Indian Women’s Press Corps in a joint press release.
