Editors Guild Slams 'Coercive' Police Actions Against Kashmir Journalists

New Delhi- The Editors Guild of India (EGI) has voiced strong condemnation over what it describes as ongoing repression of journalistic work in Kashmir, highlighting the latest summons of several reporters by local police as a blatant attempt to intimidate the press.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Guild detailed how journalists, including those affiliated with major national media outlets, were repeatedly called to Srinagar's Cyber Crime Station. There, they faced questioning over standard news coverage and were allegedly coerced into signing bonds or affidavits pledging not to engage in activities that could "disturb the peace" – a vague term whose implications remain unclear.

"While the police authorities are yet to clarify the reasons for such an action, the Guild reiterates that there can be no space for such arbitrary actions in a democracy, of which the media is a key pillar," the statement read. It further labeled the summons, interrogations, and forced affidavits as "tantamount to coercion and intimidation of the media in pursuit of its legitimate duties."

This incident is portrayed as part of a troubling pattern. The EGI pointed to "innumerable instances" of Kashmir police summoning and grilling journalists in recent years, describing the trend as "increasingly threatening, intimidatory and coercive."

The Guild has urged law enforcement and other officials to immediately halt such practices, which it argues undermine free speech and hinder the media's essential role. It also called for greater transparency and adherence to legal due process in all interactions with the press.

"Sincerely, Sanjay Kapoor, President; Raghavan Srinivasan, General Secretary; Teresa Rehman, Treasurer," the statement concluded, underscoring the Guild's unified stance against what it sees as erosive threats to press freedom in the region.