– Mohd.Naushad Khan
The Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Association, and Delhi Union of Journalists issued a joint statement on Friday.
They condemned the government’s alleged blocking of The Wire and other curbs on the press.
“If the Government of India ordered this block, it strikes at the core of a free press,” they warned.
The four groups said any move that throttles an outlet like The Wire “stifles independent news media.”
They linked the step to a wider clampdown after the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.
The attack was unanimously condemned, yet some media and YouTube channels were still singled out.
Maktoob Media’s X account is “withheld” in India on a “legal demand.”
Accounts of several Kashmir-based outlets and senior journalists Anuradha Bhasin and Muzamil Jaleel are also blocked.
Earlier, Kashmir journalist Hilal Mir was detained for social-media posts after the attack.
The X account of BBC Urdu is likewise withheld in India.
News reports claim the Centre has ordered about 8000 X accounts blocked.
X says legal restraints stop it from revealing those directives, hurting transparency and accountability.
The statement accepts that media must act responsibly.
Yet it insists secret blocking orders on journalists and outlets must be lifted.
“These crackdowns violate press freedom and harm the public,” the organizations said.
They urged the government to act transparently and let journalists work without hindrance.
