Guwahati: Two press bodies in Arunachal Pradesh have objected to social media restrictions on news coverage of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
The Arunachal Press Club (APC) and Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) raised the issue in a joint statement issued on Monday.
The organisations said journalists in the state had reported in recent days that some of their SUMP-related videos and other material could no longer be accessed in India. They also said some accounts had faced restrictions, with users in certain cases receiving a notification saying the content had been “temporarily restricted pursuant to legal requirements under India’s Information Technology rules.”
APC and APUWJ said the reported restrictions were serious because the SUMP has implications for development, the environment, displacement, indigenous rights, national interest and communities living along the Siang.
They said restricting news coverage while the project is the subject of public debate, protests and discussions between the government and affected communities could limit public access to information needed to understand the issue.
The two organisations called for disclosure of the legal basis if any government agency had requested the removal or blocking of SUMP-related reports.
They also sought details of the authority behind such a request, the specific grounds cited and whether any formal directions had been sent to social media platforms.
APC and APUWJ said news reporting should not face restrictions simply because reports from the ground contain criticism or differ from the government’s position.
They said covering opposition to a project or reporting on a protest should not be interpreted as taking a position against the government or supporting the protest.
The organisations called for the immediate restoration of legitimate journalistic material affected by restrictions linked to SUMP coverage. They also sought a transparent process for such actions and accountability from those responsible.
They further asked social media platforms to ensure that genuine journalistic work is not removed or restricted through their content-control systems without proper scrutiny. The bodies also sought clear mechanisms through which journalists can have such decisions reviewed and challenged.
The organisations said journalists covering SUMP would continue to receive their support and that they would pursue appropriate democratic and legal measures against unexplained restrictions on legitimate reports.