Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition in Jammu and Kashmir, today condemned what it called the "media gag" imposed in the state that has resulted in total blackout of news in local newspapers.
It is unprecedented for the state that local newspapers have failed to hit the stands for the third succesive day because of government "curbs", PDP spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said in a statement in Srinagar.
Alleging that the government had created all kinds of hurdles for media persons to prevent them from carrying out their professional duties, he said many of them had even suffered physical assaults at the hands of government forces.
"The harassment had become official with the registration of FIR against the staffers of a private TV channel," he said in reference to the FIR lodged against NewsX and its correspondents for running wrong news about the death of a youth in police firing despite repeated assertions by police that no such incident had taken place.
He said, "Misktakes were not unknown in reporting disturbed situtions especially when the government had deliberately curbed travel and other means of communications. In the light of the circumstances and the apology tendered by the channel there is no reason for the FIR having been lodged".
Akhtar alleged that after launching a war against the people, the state had gone after the press to prevent it from discharging its duties in an unfettered manner.
Expressing solidarity with the media persons he hoped the government would see reason and restore a semblance of democratic character to the system by lifting the curbs.
