Says Media in Kashmir Operating in Testing Situation
SRINAGAR Kashmir Editors Guild (KEG) is strongly condemning the dastardly attack on senior Journalist Shujat Bukhari, Editor Rising Kashmir. It is yet another shameful attack on the media in Kashmir that has been surviving with such attacks since 1989.
Shujaat was shot dead while he was leaving from his office minutes ahead of Iftar when a group of gunmen, apparently waiting for him to get into his car, fired a volley of bullets on his vehicle. The firing continued for a few minutes and triggered a mass scare.
Media persons contacted police to seek help. It took police some time to reach the spot and evacuate the injured to the hospital.
KEG, while strongly condemning the act has termed the killing as dastardly and a great loss to the media fraternity in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Media in Kashmir has been operating in a testing situation in Kashmir for all these decades of crisis. The intermittent killings and attacks have been adding the crisis in which the media was barely surviving.
Shujaat has been a senior journalist who rose from a reporter. He had a long inning in The Hindu which he left at the position of senior assistant editor to take-over the Rising Kashmir. He reported Kashmir turmoil since 1990s and was well respected in the fraternity for his contributions he made to the institution of media. One of the prominent faces of the media, Shujaat was one of the few journalists who was a keen lover of art and culture and headed the Adbi Markaz Kamraz for many years.
Shujaat has survived a serious heart attack only two years back. He is survived by his wife and two kids, a son and a daughter.
In an emergency meeting, KEG strongly condemned the brutal attack .It is tragic that every time the killers need a hit in the media, they descent down the press colony and kill. KEG is demanding speedy investigation in the brutal attack so that killers are identified and punished.
KEG wants to convey to the players of Kashmir turmoil that killing journalists will not further the cause of any side but will perpetuate the crisis further. At the same time, we need to convey that Kashmir media has survived the worst situations and will survive this dastardly murder as well.
Editors Guild of India
The Editors Guild of India has condemned the dastardly attack on Srinagar-based senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari on Thursday evening that later led to his death.
Mr Bukhari was a voice of moderation and a courageous, big-hearted editor who mentored a large cadre of young journalists from Kashmir. The Guild calls upon the government of Jammu and Kashmir to take urgent steps to bring to book the culprits and ensure safety and security for the media in the state. An attack on a journalist challenges the very foundations of a free press and vibrant democracy and more so in a state like Jammu and Kashmir that is going through militancy. The Guild also calls upon the state and central government to enhance security for all journalists in Jammu and Kashmir. Recent weeks have also seen threats of violence against many journalists in different parts of the country. The killing of Mr Bukhari is a new low in a rapidly deteriorating environment for media practitioners in Kashmir, in particular, and in the country in general. The Guild calls upon the Centre to take note of the developments and take necessary steps to ensure a situation where the media can discharge its duties without any fear of violence. The state and central governments must enhance security for all journalists in Jammu and Kashmir.
Attempt To Muzzle Media: PCI, Others
“Press Club of India is shocked and saddened by this mindless terror attack that claimed the life of Shujaat Bukhari in the holy month of Ramzan, the Press Club of India said in a release.
It said that the club has time and again underlined the threat to the lives of journalists working under difficult and challenging circumstances and demanded protection for them.
“Terror attack that took Shujaat Bukhari’s life shows that lives of journalists are not at all safe. Forces inimical to restoring peace in Kashmir Valley have silenced a voice of reason, logic and peace, it said.
In a joint release, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Association and Federation of Press Clubs of India demanded that the “dastardly forces” responsible for the killing should be brought to book by the Jammu and Kashmir government at the earliest.
They said his murder can only be viewed as yet another attempt to muzzle the media and the freedom of the press in the valley.
“We also express our deep condolences to the family members and friends of Mr Bukhari, they said.
The National Union of Journalists (India) said that security of journalists in the Jammu and Kashmir is a matter of concern and the incident was an attempt to stall fearless coverage of anti-national and anti-people activities.
NUJ(I) strongly criticises this barbaric act and demands that the state government nabs the culprits at the earliest. We also demand to look into the security of the mediapersons, while covering different events in the state,” it said.
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