MPs flag arrests of journalists

They deserve to be able to do their job safely without harassment, says Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday raised a red flag over the continued incarceration of journalists Fahad Shah, Sajjad Gul and Siddique Kappan, and said it was “a blot on our conscience.”

Speaking during Zero Hour, he said several organisations like Reporters Without Borders and the Editors Guild of India had already pointed this out as part of a larger pattern of “deteriorating” press freedom in India. “India is ranked at 147 in the Press Freedom Index, and another organisation has named India as among the five most dangerous places for journalists,” he said. “Journalists in Kashmir, or U.P., or anywhere in India, deserve to be able to do their job safely without fear or harassment. The Supreme Court has also recognised the role of dissent in a vibrant democracy,” he said. He urged Home Minister Amit Shah to facilitate the release of Fahad Shah, Sajjad Gul and Siddique Kappan in the interest of freedom of the press in the country.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Kunwar Danish Ali raised the issue of universities, especially Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), that had remained closed for the better part of two years. “I am speaking specifically of these two universities as I, through the medium of Lok Sabha, am part of their court. I must state here that I fear that this generation of students will get left far behind if educational institutions are not opened,” he said. He also raised concerns over the process of filling the vacancies of the court of AMU.