NEW DELHI: The Editors Guild Of India slammed the Delhi Police for its FIR against veteran journalist Vinod Dua and decribed it a “brazen attack” on his freedom of free speech.
“The accusations are a brazen attack on his right to free speech and fair comment. An FIR based on this is an instrument of harassment setting off a process that is itself a punishment,” the guild said in a statement.
Expressing its concern over the FIR based on a complaint by BJP spokesperson Naveen Kumar, it condemned the growing tendency among the police to slap charges against journalists.
“The Editors Guild of India is deeply concerned by the growing tendency among police in various states to take cognisance of frivolous charges against journalists and convert them into a first information report (FIR),” said the statement.
The guild urged the police to respect the constitutionally guaranteed freedom instead of behaving in a manner that raised questions on its independence.
Kumar alleged Dua had “misreported” during the Delhi riots and accused the latter of spreading fake news through his show on YouTube.
Kumar had also made a reference to Dua’s show on former Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia joining the BJP, and claimed his remarks were “degrading”.