The National Union of Journalists (India) has expressed shock and condemned the action of Mumbai Police booking the entire editorial staff of Republic Media Network in an FIR.
The NUJ (I) president Manoj Mishra and Secretary-General Suresh Sharma have condemned this action of Mumbai Police and have demanded immediate scrapping of the FIR. It has also requested the Press Council of India to take cognisance of the matter.
"NUJ (I) president Manoj Mishra and Secretary-General Suresh Sharma have condemned this action of Mumbai Police and have demanded immediate scrapping of the FIR, as this is an attempt to harass a news orgsation, infringes on its operations, and brings back memories of the Emergency era," the statement by the orgsation read.
It has also sought effective action in this matter from executive and judicial authorities. The union has also requested the Press Council of India to take suo-motu cognisance of the matter involving free and independent functioning of the media.
The statement further said, "Mumbai Police action has left the Emergency behind, as even during Emergency never were all employees of any media orgsation targeted in bulk like this time in Mumbai. This follows the issue of a notice by Mumbai Police to Republic Media Network asking them to submit details of every single transaction the orgsation has entered into ever since its inception."
It also said that this was "an unusual case of state machinery trying to muzzle the voice of the free media."
( With inputs from ANI )
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