Srinagar, Mar 16 (KNS): Journalists associations have condemned the attack on their colleagues by police while they were performing their professional duties during the scheduled press conference Hurriyat leaders.
Kashmir Press said that it strongly condemned the assault on Agence France Presse (AFP) photojournalist, Tauseef Mustafa and other photojournalists while they were dispatching their professional duties of covering the a scheduled joint press conference of Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik at Hyderpora.
The KPPA statement said the DO Police Station Humhama assaulted Mustafa and caught hold of his throat and attempted to suffocate him. The statement said there is clear photo and video evidence offering a clear detail of the police assault.
The members of KPPA later staged a protest demonstration at Press Enclave in Srinagar and demanded action against the DO Humhama for assaulting the photojournalists.
The KPPA statement said if no action would be taken against the DO Humhama, not only the photojournalists but the entire journalist community participate in a protest march against the police brutality on Saturday and stop covering all the events of J&K Police.
Kashmir Video Journalists Association (KVJA) also demanded suspension of said cop who was involved in this incident.
Meanwhile, the photojournalists in the afternoon staged protest against the assault on their colleagues at Hyderpora.
The protesting media persons while condemning the police action demanded appropriate action against the ‘erring’ police official.
“The media persons were performing their professional duties but it is unfortunate the police official targeted the photojournalists for no reasons,” they said.
“The police official must be dealt with strictly according to the law,” the protesting media persons said.
SSP Budgam, Waseem Qadri told KNS that no assault took place but the restrictions had been imposed around the residence of Geelani and the media persons were asked to move back.
“You might have seen the video in which the media persons were trying to enter in the area where restrictions have been imposed. The police officials were asking the media persons to move back however they didn’t pay any heed thereby the officials tried to push them back,” he said.
(KNS)