Two major media organisations spoke out after Jammu and Kashmir police summoned journalists and demanded that they sign bonds assuring that they won’t breach peace.

The Editors Guild of India said in a statement: “Arbitrary summons and police questioning of journalists, and bids to obtain affidavits under duress, are tantamount to coercion and intimidation of the media in pursuit of its legitimate duties.”

The Guild added: “Innumerable instances of journalists being summoned and questioned by the police have been reported in the past.”

The Guild calls on the police and other authorities to desist from such actions, which restrict free speech and prevent the media from carrying out its core functions. The Guild urges the authorities to act in a transparent manner and follow legal due process in their dealings with the media.” The International NGO Committee for the Protection of Journalists said that journalists of The Indian Express and Hindustan Times were summoned in Srinagar.

The group’s Asia-Pacific programme coordinator Kunal Majumder said: “Using police powers to summon journalists over their legitimate reporting is part of a pattern of intimidation against the media in Jammu and Kashmir.... Authorities must cease their harassment and ensure that journalists are not subjected to arbitrary police action for doing their jobs.”

The Centre controls the police in the Union Territory. Opposition parties have expressed concern over reports of journalists based in Jammu and Kashmir being summoned to police stations in Srinagar and asked to sign bonds under Section 126
of the BNS.