- Editors Guild of India concerned over Congress leader's threat of criminal complaint against NDTV's Shiv Aroor
- Guild opposes criminal charges against journalists for professional work, urges political parties to refrain
- An Editors Guild statement said criminal laws should not be used to harass journalists
The Editors Guild of India has expressed concern after senior Congress leader Pawan Khera threatened NDTV Managing Editor Shiv Aroor with a criminal complaint for the August 19 episode of Mr Aroor's popular show, India Matters.
"The Editors Guild of India notes with concern the statement by a Congress party spokesperson regarding the intention to file a criminal complaint against NDTV journalist Shiv Aroor," the Guild said in a statement.
"Without offering any comment on the content of the broadcast in question, the Guild is troubled by the creeping tendency to invoke criminal charges against members of the media in response to their professional work," it added.
"The Guild reiterates its longstanding position that criminal laws should not be used as instruments of harassment against journalists. All political parties are urged to refrain from such measures. There exist multiple avenues, including remedies under civil law, to pursue grievances without resorting to the criminalisation of journalism. The Editors Guild remains committed to its twin objectives of protecting press freedom and promoting high standards of editorial leadership. At the same time, it reminds journalists of their responsibility to adhere to the principles of fairness and balance in their reporting," the journalists' body said in a statement.
In his show, Mr Aroor had spoken about psephologist Sanjay Kumar's apology for sharing incorrect data on the Maharashtra election, which Congress has been flagging as a case of alleged vote fraud. He had clarified that this has no link with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations regarding the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in Karnataka. During the show, Mr Aroor spoke to Mr Kumar, who is associated with Delhi-based research body Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). Mr Kumar claimed in the show that he had not used the word 'vote chori' in his writings. Congress leaders had earlier shared posts by Mr Kumar to drum up their 'vote chori' campaign.
Shortly after the show, Mr Khera accused Mr Aroor of making a "malicious attempt" to defame the Congress and Mr Gandhi, but did not elaborate on the specifics. He said this "won't go unanswered" and added that a criminal complaint had been filed.
