First invited, then denied: No entry for Journalists at RN Kao Memorial lecture this year

Media person invited to the R N Kao memorial at the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) headquarters in New Delhi have been informed that they are not allowed at the event, reported The Indian Express.

This memorial lecture is scheduled to be delivered by Home Minister Amit Shah this year on August 20. A select few journalists and media personnel who cover internal security matters were earlier invited to attend this event. The journalists were invited earlier this month with numbered identity tags, parking labels and formal invitations.

RN Kao memorial lecture series, was started in 2007 on his death anniversary. RN Kao is the founder of India’s external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). It is the only occasion when media persons are given permission to get into the highly protected and secure zone of R&AW headquarters near Lodhi Road, question and speak to the speaker and freely have conversations with all guests over high tea.

This high profile event is usually attended by the Kao family and retired R&AW members.

This memorial lecture was to be delivered by Home Minister Amit Shah this year on August 20. A select few journalists and media personnel were called for this event, who cover internal security matters. The journalists were invited earlier this month with numbered identity tags, parking labels and formal invitations.

According to Indian Express, however, at the very last minute all journalists got a call from a R&AW officials asking them not to turn up, as media personnel were not permitted anymore. The R&AW official emphasised that each journalist on their list was being contacted individually.

Shashi Tharoor, Kumarmangalam Birla, NN Vohra, Piyush Pandey, Raghuram Rajan, Naresh Chandra and Pratap Bhanu Mehta; are some of the people who have spoken at this event before.

A serving minister has, for the first time, been called to deliver this address.

This restriction and calling back invitations come shortly after journalists had restrictions imposed on them with respect to the entry of PIB-accredited media personnel into the Finance Ministry.