‘Kashmir Caged’: Watch film on J&K which PCI didn’t allow to be screened, activists blame “surveillance”

In a scenario reminiscent of JNU sedition case, Press Club of India (PCI) has stopped civil rights activists Kavita Krishnan, Maimoona Mollah and eminent economist Jean Dreze from showing and sharing a video containing “realities of Jammu and Kashmir” after the abrogation of Article-370 on Wednesday.

Accompanied by Dreze, a group of social activists visited Jammu and Kashmir from August 9 to August 13 and prepared a 10-page ground report that was released in PCI on Wednesday. However, when it came to the release of the videos and photos, PCI did not allow.

Kavita Krishnan claimed “Press Club told us that we are not allowed to use their projector. But privately we were told by the club authorities that they were under surveillance and pressure”.

Reacting to this, Dreze asked, “If we are not allowed to show the video at the PCI, where will it be shown?

“Permission for a 10-minute film was denied by Press Club of India,” added Dreze.

When contacted, management of the Press Club of India refuted the allegations, saying, “We did not tell them anything”.

Another member of the management committee said, they were still “ascertaining the facts.”

Three years back in 2016, when JNU sedition case was hogging the headline every day, a discussion was held in the PCI on Kashmir issue, following which the management of the PCI had filed an FIR against DU Professor Javed Ali and Professor Geelani. Geelani was arrested while Ali had to apply for the bail.

A senior journalist told on the condition of anonymity that PCI – which is supposed to the flag bearer of journalists’ interest, has become a right wing Adda.