“The Guild reiterates its earlier demand that status quo before the January 14th order of Registrar of Societies be restored with respect to the functioning of the Club, and that the state works towards building and protecting the space for a free press.”

SRINAGAR —The Editors Guild of India has expressed anguish over the shutting down of the Kashmir Press Club by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, on January 17, 2022.

“The shutting down of the club is the latest act in a sequence of disturbing events, wherein the “re-registration” of the Club was first arbitrarily put “in abeyance” by the Registrar of Societies on January 14th, followed by the shocking breach of institutional norms when a group of people, with the active support of state police and CRPF, took over the office and management of the Club on January 15^th,” the Editors Guild of India said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Guild said with the shutting down of the Club and government reverting the land back to the Estates Department, an important journalistic institution in a region that has seen the worst kind of “state heavy-handedness” against any independent media, has been effectively dismantled.

Kashmir Press Club was established in 2018 and already had more than 300 members, making it the largest journalists’ association in the region.

“Space for media freedom and active civil society has been steadily eroding in the region. Journalists frequently face intimidation from terror groups as well as the state. They are also charged under heavy penal laws, and are routinely detained by security forces for reporting or for their editorials,” the statement said.

“…In April 2021, Kashmir Police had issued an advisory forbidding journalists from reporting live encounters with militants on the specious plea that it is “likely to incite violence” or that it can promote “anti-national sentiment”. Most recently, journalist Sajad Gul was arrested for posting a video of a protesting family on social media.”

In a state ridden with such excesses against media, Kashmir Press Club was an important institution for fighting for the protection and rights of journalists, the statement said “It also remained open through the lockdown, giving journalists access to important facilities like the internet for filing their work, as well as workshops for training of young journalists. The shutting down of the Club, therefore, sets a dangerous precedent for media freedom.”

The Guild reiterated its earlier demand that status quo before the January 14th order of Registrar of Societies be restored with respect to the functioning of the Club, and that the state works towards building and protecting the space for a free press.