JK admn takes back Kashmir Press Club premises, says it has 'ceased to exist'

The Kashmir Press Club has ldquoceased to existrdquo the Jammu and Kashmir administration said on Monday as it took back the premises allotted to the largest journalists body in the Valley following ldquodissensionsrdquo between two factions one of which had tacit support from the governmentThe administration which has been facing flak on the issue with the Editors Guild of India terming the events a coup and a continuing trend to smother press freedom cited unpleasant developments and dissensions between various groups of journalists as the reason for the takeover of the premises in Srinagars high street Polo Ground areait has been decided that the allotment of the premises at Polo View to the nowderegistered Kashmir Press Club be cancelled and the control of land and buildings situated at Polo View Srinagar which belong to the Estates Department be reverted to the said department an official spokesperson announced in a statementThe administration said it was concerned over the situation that had arisen due to the unpleasant turn of events involving two warring groups using the banner of the Kashmir Press ClubThings came to a boil on Saturday January 15 when a group of journalists accompanied by policemen armed with assault rifle reached the club claiming to be its new interim management This was a day after the administration had put KPCs registration in abeyanceThe journalists released a statement stating that some journalist forums had chosen them to be new officebearers a claim contested by nine journalist associations from the ValleyThe factual position is that KPC as a registered body has ceased to exist and its managing body too has come to a legal closure on 14 July 2021 the date on which its tenure came to an end the administration said on MondayHowever it sidestepped the fact that the KPC had been issued a reregistration certificate on December 29 2021 This was subsequently placed under abeyance citing police verification on January 14After reregistering the KPC the Registrar of Societies Jammu and Kashmir had said on January 14 said the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police CID has put on hold the noninvolvement and verification of character and antecedent certificates of the members of the managing body of the KPCThe reregistration granted to the KPC on December 29 2021 is hereby kept in abeyance till the receipt of final report from additional district magistrate Srinagar the order readOn Monday however the government said in its failure to register itself under the central Societies of Registration Act further compounded by its failure to hold elections to constitute a new managing body some individuals of the erstwhile club have been committing illegalities on several counts least of which are false portrayal of being ownermanagers of an entity which is no longer in legal vogueIt said some other members have created an interim body using the same banner suggesting a takeoverHowever since the original KPC itself has ceased to exist as a registered body the question of any interim body is rendered infructuous In these circumstances issuing of notices and communication by any group using the rubric of erstwhile Kashmir Press Club is illegal it addedThe administration also said rival groups had also been leveling allegations against each otherIn view of this aspect of the dispute and in view of the reports in social media and other sources indicating a potential law and order situation including a threat of breach of peace and the safety of bonafide journalists an intervention has become necessary it saidThe administration said it is committed to a free and fair press and believes that journalists are entitled to all facilities including a place for professional educational social cultural recreational and welfare activitiesThe government also hopes that a duly registered bona fide society of all journalists shall be constituted as soon as possible and the same shall be able to approach the government for reallocation of the premisesThe ousted managing body of the Kashmir Press Club said the installation of a group of journalists as an interim body was done with the ultimate goal of shutting down the clubIshfaq Tantray general secretary of the ousted body said in a statement it is our firm belief that our journalists are capable and professional enough to keep the flame glowing and confront these challenges ahead I want to reiterate that journalism thrived in Kashmir and it will survive all crests and troughs in the future as wellThe Jammu and Kashmir administration had come under severe criticism after pictures showing armed policemen inside the KPC were circulated in the social media and posted on Twitter by former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba MuftiIn its statement the Editors Guild of India termed the events a coup and a continuing trend to smother press freedom in the union territory with the help of police who have been brazenly complicit in itJanhastakshep a Delhibased social organisation also issued a statement saying that journalists in Kashmir have vociferously condemned this takeover and demanded restoration of status quo anteThe organisation in its statement requested other media guilds and associations to come together to struggle against the ongoing repression in Kashmir being implemented under the aegis of the Central Government and the increasing attacks on independent minded pro people journalists across the countryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever