People's
Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) No. 06
February 09, 2003
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) |
Vol.
XXVII No. 06 February 09, 2003 |
DUJ
Condemns
Journalist’s
Killing
In
Srinagar
In
a
statement
issued
on
February
1,
DUJ
president
S
K
Pande
and
general
secretary
Javed
Faridi
said
“the
criminals
cannot
be
allowed
to
go
scot-free.”
The
statement
said
the
“Delhi
Union
of
Journalists
condemns
both
the
government
and
the
criminal
elements
for
trying
to
muzzle
the
freedom
of
the
press.
It
holds
the
government
as
a
co-conspirator
in
the
cases
of
attack
on
and
murder
of
journalists,
which
are
allowed
to
remain
unresolved.”
It
pointed
out
that
about
36
media
persons
had
been
attacked
or
killed
in
Srinagar
since
the
onset
of
the
disturbance
a
decade
ago.
Starting
from
the
killing
of
Doordarshan
station
director
Lassa
Kaul
and
Al-Safa
editor
Mohd
Shaban
Vakil,
the
modus
operandi
of
attacks
on
journalists
continues
to
remain
the
same.
“It
is
always
unidentified
gunmen
who
the
police
make
us
believe
are
behind
such
incidents.
We
call
upon
authorities
to
investigate
these
killings
properly
and
bring
the
culprits
to
book,”
the
statement
added.
The
DUJ
has
expressed
sympathy
with
the
bereaved
family.
Mr
Sultan,
who
was
the
chief
editor
of
a
local
news
agency
News
And
Features
Alliance
(NAFA),
is
survived
by
wife,
two
sons
and
a
daughter.
Mr
Sultan’s
father
had
expired
only
last
week.
Mr
Sultan
has
been
associated
with
the
Srinagar
edition
of
national
Urdu
daily
Quami
Awaz,
besides
some
other
newspapers
being
published
from
the
Kashmir
Valley.
Hailing
from
Khiram
village
in
South
Kashmir,
Mr
Sultan
was
recipient
of
an
award
for
best
reporting
on
environmental
issues
a
few
years
ago.
The
DUJ
is
of
the
opinion
that
the
Official
Secrets
Act
requires
review
after
proper
discussion,
so
as
to
prevent
its
misuse
against
the
media.
CPI(M) CONDEMNS THE MURDER
ON
the
same
day,
the
CPI(M)’s
Jammu
&
Kashmir
state
committee
also
condemned
the
murder
of
Parwaz
Mohd
Sultan,
editor
and
proprietor
of
the
News
And
Features
Alliance
(NAFA)
by
militants.
The
assassinated
journalist
has
been
known
for
his
objective
reporting,
the
party
recalled.
Through
a
statement
issued
by
its
secretary
Mohd
Yousuf
Tarigami,
the
CPI(M)
state
committee
said
this
heinous
assassination,
one
more
in
a
series
of
assassination
of
journalists
and
other
intellectuals,
was
a
desperate
attempt
on
part
of
the
extremists
to
silence
the
voice
of
sanity.
The
party,
however,
believed
that
such
acts
would
not
succeed
in
the
game
of
suppressing
the
freedom
of
opinion
by
brute
force.
The
party
conveyed
its
sincere
condolence
to
Mr
Sultan’s
aggrieved
family
members
and
urged
the
people
as
well
as
the
media
to
raise
their
voice
against
such
dastardly
killings.
(INN)
