A group of nearly 80 journalists, writers and social activists staged a protest outside the Press Club here to protest against raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the residences of the founder of NDTV Prannoy Roy and his wife. The protesters termed the raid as “rising attacks against the watchdog of democracy”.
The protest was organised under the banner of the Journalist Study Centre. “The CBI raids are a move by the government to suppress the freedom of press,” said BTV journalist Naveen Soorinje. He added that the raids were conducted over a financial matter concerning private individuals. “This has not happened before.”
“This is the first time in recent history that the CBI intervened with respect to a private loan. We are not questioning the financial aspects of the case. We see this as the beginning of vendetta politics by the BJP where they are attacking the watchdog of democracy,” said writer Shripad Bhat.
He connected the raids to the recent interview by NDTV anchor Nidhi Razdan where she had asked BJP's Sambit Patra to leave the show after he accused her of having links with the Congress. “The union government is trying to silence dissent,” said Mr. Bhat.
He recalled L.K. Advani’s warning two years back that Emergency could return and Arun Shourie’s criticism of the Modi administration and said that it was time journalists awoke against the attempt to muzzle their voices.
Writer Shridhar Prabhu, social activist Vidya Dinker, and senior journalist Dinesh Amin Mattu also joined in the demonstration.
