Condemn Kashmir Press Club’s Forcible Takeover Amidst Security Forces Cover

Editorial Board

On 15^th January 2021, 11 “journalists” escorted by armed security forces barged into the Kashmir Press Club (KPC) and held a meeting in which it was arbitrarily decided to dissolve the elected body of the Press Club and replace it with an unelected 3-member interim body. It is noteworthy that the KPC, established in 2018 and having a membership of over 300 journalists, observes a strict rule against entry of arms in the premises, which was violated in broad daylight. Registration of KPC was pending before the administration since May 2021, which was finally approved on 13^th Jan 2022. However, it was put on hold again the very next day due to which, elections for a new body, suspended for months, were postponed further. Now, after this takeover the following day, there is now no clarity on the pending elections and even on the independence or existence of the Press Club. THE TRUTH condemns this forcible and illegal takeover of Kashmir Press Club.

Furthermore, the elections to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association are also lying suspended for months, after it was disallowed by the district administration in Nov 2020. It is widely believed that only these two institutions were functioning independently in Kashmir following the undemocratic and forced removal of Article 370. Now, independence of both have been jeopardized by the government. It is clear that the Modi Government of the Union is taking such steps only to overtly suppress or capture from within these democratic institutions under its fascist agenda.