Citing ‘law and order’ concerns, Delhi police denies permission for event on ‘media blackout’ in Kashmir

The Delhi police today denied permission for an event on “media blackout and state repression in Kashmir”. The event had been scheduled to take place at the Gandhi Peace Foundation this afternoon. 

According to PTI, the IP Estate police station sent a communication to the foundation saying it had received  “information/local input” that “some anonymous group is planning/organising public meeting on ‘Media Blackout in Kashmir’ at 3 pm on March 15, 2023 at Gandhi Peace Foundation. Efforts to get the details of members of the anonymous group have been made but the same could not be verified.”

Signed by inspector and station house officer Sanjeev Kumar, the communication said: “There is discreet input of disturbance in law and order situation in view of organising this above public meeting. In view of above, you are requested to cancel the booking and intimation may kindly be sent to the undersigned at the earliest.”

The event’s speakers included retired high court judge Hasnain Masoodi, CPIM leader MY Tarigami, Delhi University professor Nandita Narain, filmmaker Sanjay Kak, and United Peace Alliance chairman Shahid Saleem.

Narain told PTI, “The speakers were informed about the cancellation, just when they were about to leave for the event. It was not a protest but a public meeting. It was being carried out in a hall and the police had nothing to do with it. This is what is happening. They are entering colleges to stop events.”

One of the event’s organisers told Scroll the police “locked one of the gates” of the foundation and “barricaded another”. “This is continuation of the government and police’s efforts to stall protests and events that try to highlight human rights violations,” they said.

Newslaundry had previously reported on how foreign correspondents in India haven’t received permission to visit and report from Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. As a foreign correspondent told Newslaundry, “J&K is a huge story we are not able to tell the world.” Read the report here.