AP Medium, Small & Periodicals Journalists Association
AP Medium, Small & Periodicals Journalists Association Demands Action: Bringing Culprits to Justice Over Delhi Police’s Heavy-Handed Crackdown on Journalists
The AP Medium, Small & Periodicals Journalists Association has issued a sharp condemnation of the recent high-handed behavior and unjust actions of the Delhi Police. The association strongly asserts that those responsible for targeting, harassing, and illegally detaining legitimate media personnel must be identified and brought to justice.
The streets of the national capital have once again transformed into a stage for events that call fundamental democratic values into question. Professional journalists—who were on duty to cover protests in New Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar—faced unwarranted aggression and detention. Targeting and arresting reporters who were merely performing their professional duty of gathering news constitutes a direct and unacceptable assault on press freedom.
According to reports from the ground, police forcibly detained reporters and photographers from prominent national dailies and independent digital media outlets, bundling them into police buses even after they presented their official press identification cards. Obstructing journalists as they gather news with their cameras and microphones effectively amounts to blindfolding the public, keeping citizens in the dark about crucial public developments.
**Gathering News Is Not a Crime
The press serves as a vital bridge between the government machinery and the general public. The presence of independent media is crucial during times of social tension and political protest. Journalists do not go to such locations to disrupt law and order; their core responsibility is to transparently document and convey the facts of the situation to the public.
Actions by police forces—such as treating journalists as adversaries, obstructing their movement, and seizing their equipment—amount to a blatant violation of the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution. Suppressing the right to peaceful protest and the freedom to report on it deals a severe blow to the democratic system.
**Association Demands and Calls to Action:
The AP Medium, Small & Periodicals Journalists Association urges all proponents of democracy to strongly oppose this growing trend of suppressing journalists and outlines the following core demands:
Bring Culprits to Justice:
A transparent, time-bound inquiry must be conducted into why journalists on duty were detained despite possessing valid press identification cards, and accountability must be enforced against those who violated legal and democratic norms.
* **Unimpeded Freedom: There must be a clear assurance from the authorities that media personnel can perform their professional duties freely and without fear of intimidation or physical obstruction.
* **Respect for Press Freedom: Law enforcement agencies should view independent media as partners in upholding democracy rather than displaying a tendency to suppress them through coercion and detention.
The truth cannot be concealed through coercion or detention. If authorities desire administrative transparency, they must first respect and safeguard press freedom.
**Issued by:**
*AP Medium, Small & Periodicals Journalists Association
