New Delhi: Guild Editor India on Friday said worried that government agencies were used as “coercive tools” to suppress free and independent journalism.
His statement came after the income tax department attack on Thursday in several states on the leading media group Dainik Bhaskar and TV channels based in Uttar Bharat SamaChar for alleged tax evasion.
“Editor Guild of India (EGI) is worried about the income tax raid on July 22 at the leading newspaper Group Office of Dainik Bhaskar and the independent news channel based in Lucknow Bharat SamaChar,” he said in a statement.
“They came up with a background of deep reporting in Pandemi (Covid-19) by Dainik Bhaskar, who brought ahead of mismanagement with government authorities and lost a very large human life,” Guild said.
He claimed that in the webinar organized by recently, the National Editor of Dainik Bhaskar Om Gaur has stated that their advertising from the government department has been cut down after critical coverage recently from the State Authority.
“He has also written OP-Ed in the New York Times, Headled ‘The Ganges returned the dead.
It did not lie’,” said Egi.
It is said, “Therefore, Egi is hence worry that government institutions are being used as coercive tools to suppress free and independent journalism.
This is all more disturbing considering that media reports have recently been on supervision of journalists and civil society activists who expand to use Pegasus.
Of course.
” At the raid by the tax department at Bharat SamaChar, the Guild said that it was one of the few channels in Uttar Pradesh which had asked a difficult question to the state government in connection with Pandemic management.
“Apart from the benefits of this case, this time of raids is related to providing recent critical coverage by both organizations,” said Egi.
In February, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted a raid at the newsclick.in office, which has been at the forefront of the reporting of farmer agitation and anti-CAA protests, notes.
Raids against Dainik Bhaskar, who have the presence in 12 states and run newspapers and operate radio stations, web portals, and mobile applications, starting at around 5.30 in the morning on Thursday and late at night.
They took place in 30 locations in various countries.
Bharat SamaChar’s premise and the promoters and staff were raided at Uttar Pradesh.