Editors Guild Condemns Violence Against Reporters, Police Crackdown at NEET Protest

New Delhi- The Editors Guild of India (EGI) has issued a formal statement regarding the violence that broke out during protests at Jantar Mantar against the NEET exam paper leaks.

The Guild condemned the violence against reporters of certain media outlets by a section of protestors at the capital's Jantar Mantar seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The Guild noted that the ire of the protestors was particularly directed at representatives of the media outlets considered close to the government and the ruling party.

The statement acknowledged that there are many sides to the complex reality of the Jantar Mantar protests. It observed that flawed and biased reporting not only makes a bad situation worse but has more serious and longer-lasting consequences which impact the fabric of society and also weaken the media's position as one of the key pillars of a functional democracy. The Guild noted that that position is accorded to the media by society thanks to hard-earned credibility built up over decades through considered, nuanced and unbiased reporting and rationally argued opinion. It added that openly catering to the dictates of vested interests or even the government flies against the principles of responsible journalism the Guild advocates.

However, the Guild made it clear that this can never be the justification for perpetrating violence on media representatives, stating that it can have disastrous implications for the tenuous society.

The Guild also strongly condemned the brutal suppression of the peaceful protest by the security forces. It stated that caning, tear-gassing and even using electric prods cannot be justified against young protestors. The Guild affirmed that the right to dissent is fundamental to a democracy and that using the might of the State to try and suppress it only weakens the credentials as a democracy and violates the fundamental right to freedom of expression of the citizens.

The statement was signed by Sanjay Kapoor, President; Raghavan Srinivasan, General Secretary; and Teresa Rehman, Treasurer.