The Editors Guild of India (EGI) is sending a 3-member fact-finding team to Agartala to find out the facts over reports of draconian criminal laws being used to prevent media from reporting on acts of violence in Tripura.
The EGI team includes Bharat Bhushan, Pradip Phanjoubam and Sanjay Kapoor, general secretary.
During their stay, the team will meet the government officials, media persons and members of the civil society, the Editors Guild of India said in a press release, signed by Seema Mustafa, president, Sanjay Kapoor, general secretary and Anant Nath, treasurer.
Also read: Editors Guild India denounces Tripura police action against journalists
A day after Tripura Police imposed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against 102 social media handles over clashes and alleged attacks on mosques, the EGI said it was shocked by the action initiated against people who were “reporting and writing on the recent communal violence in the state”.
The Editors Guild stated: “This [development] comes a few days after the police had filed UAPA charges against some Delhi based lawyers who had visited Tripura as part of an independent fact finding enquiry commission into the communal violence.”
Also read: BJP sweeps Tripura civic body polls, wins 217 of 222 seats
“One of the journalists, Shyam Meera Singh, has alleged that he has been booked under UAPA for merely tweeting ‘Tripura is burning’. This is an extremely disturbing trend where such a harsh law, where in the processes of investigation and bail applications are extremely rigorous and overbearing, is being used for merely reporting on and protesting against communal violence,” the EGI stated.