Journalists need protection, says Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ)

ITANAGAR: Condemning the ever increasing curbs imposed on the freedom of press and speech by the Central and the State governments, the scribes of Arunachal Pradesh under the aegis of Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) took out a massive protest rally in the capital on Saturday.

APUWJ president Amar Sangno was quite vocal about the Central Government's attempt to suppress the media through management and said, "Over the years India has been thumping its chest and claiming that it is the largest democracy in the world. However, if on goes through the Reporters Without Border's World Press Freedom Index, the ranking of India has slipped down to 138 and the same is depressing." Denouncing the continuous attacks on journalists and media houses by the government, he said the Central and State governments across the country were intolerant when it came to protecting the freedom of press. "The government's attempt to muzzle free media is like attacking the basis of democracy. Pressurizing media houses and independent journalists to conform to the diktats of the ruling dispensation not only weakens the foundations of democracy in the country but also violates the freedom of expression and people's right to know as guaranteed under the Constitution," said Sangno.

APUWJ general secretary Ranju Dodum spoke on the dire need to enact the Working Journalists Protection (WJP) Act by all the State governments so as to protect journalists from being soft targets of violence. The APUWJ will be submitting a memorandum to Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday demanding enactment of Working Journalists Protection Act