Indian Journalists Union condemns CBI raid in NDTV office

PR, KalimNews, Hyderabad, June 7: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU), the premier and most representative organization of the working journalists in the country, strongly condemned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids on the office and residential premises of the NDTV founders Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika Roy on Monday for causing alleged loss to a private sector bank. In a statement issued on Tuesday, 6 June, the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) President S N Sinha, Secretary-General Amar Devulapalli, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Vice-President Sabina Inderjit and Press Council of India (PCI) member K Amarnath termed it as an attack on the independent media which did not conform to narrative of the ruling establishment.

“It is no co-incidence that the raids on NDTV promoters’ premises came a few days after the BJP official spokesman Sambit Patra accused the channel of carrying out an agenda against the NDA government and the ruling party in a live discussion on the channel. It seems the raids were conducted based on a complaint of a disgruntled employee of the organization. We are of the opinion that ruling establishment is misusing the organs of the state to brow beat critics and enforce self-censorship on the media that do not conform to its narrative,” the IJU statement said.

IJU leaders said it was strange that big business houses who were defrauding the public sector banks by not repaying loans were going scot-free, an independent media house was sought to be punished for some alleged fraud in a private bank long after the loan was repaid. “We demand that the government and its coercive organs should desist from muzzling the media on trumped up and imaginative charges. We call upon the working journalists in the country to raise their voice against attacks on the independent media to silence criticism and expression of contrary opinion,” the IJU statement added.