On Wednesday, (September 29), the Press Council of India responded to the former C.M. Mehbooba Mufti’s letter, wherein, she had urged the organization to “send a fact-finding team to J&K, to independently verify” the claims of “intimidation, snooping and harassment of journalists” in the erstwhile state and “take remedial action.”
The Press Council of India informed in the latest order, a copy of which lies with The Kashmiriyat, that the Chair, taking suo-motu cognizance on the matter “concerning intimidation and harassment of journalists in Jammu Kashmir, has constituted a three member Fact Finding Committee.”
Shri Prakash Dubey, Convener & Group editor, Dainik Bhaskar, Gurbir Singh, Journalist, the New Indian Express and Dr. Suman Gupta, Editor, Jan Morcha were the three members chosen for the Committee to inquire into the matter.
The order also added that the “Fact Finding Committee will regulate its own procedure.”
Further, the order said that the authorities in Jammu Kashmir were “requested to extend full co-operation and assistance to this Fact Finding Committee for the discharge of its function.”
It states that The Fact Finding Committee was required to make a thorough probe into the matter, while holding “discussion with the concerned authorities and the affected journalists” and to collect such information as it deem fit to submit its report to the Council at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the PDP Chief and the former Chief Minister, took to Twitter to express gratitude to the Press Council of India on the constitution of The Fact Finding Committee.
She also asked the local administration to co-operate with the committee.
“Thankful to the @PressCouncil_IN for their decision to constitute a fact finding committee to probe about journalists being harassed in J&K. Hope the local administration ensures their full co-operation so that this committee can discharge its duty,” she tweeted.