A day after senior journalist Nikhil Wagles’s car was attacked while he and two others were going to speak at an event titled Nirbhay Bano in Pune, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) issued a strong statement condemning the attack. Also, both the Press Club of India and the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) have vehemently condemned the assault on senior journalist Wagle. The Guild has called on the law enforcement authorities and the government of Maharashtra to take action against the culprits immediately.
EGI statement on attack against journalist Nikhil Wagle in the city of Pune on Friday pic.twitter.com/vZyIHYZTRR
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) February 10, 2024
Both the Press Club of India and the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) have vehemently condemned the assault on senior journalist Wagle.
Simultaneously, the NWMI has also highlighted how there is a concerning pattern of intolerance exhibited by the BJP towards journalists who dare to question the party. The use of brute force to stifle dissent, as witnessed in Wagle’s case, the statement argues, a part of the party’s unwillingness to engage in civilised debate.
NWMI has urged authorities to take immediate and urgent action against the culprits who organised the attack on Wagle. Moreover, the NWMI’s statement further described that the assault on Wagle is a manifestation of a broader issue which is the growing targeting of journalists in India for practising journalism.
We at @NWM_India strongly condemn the assault on senior journalist @waglenikhil in Pune on Friday, and extend unwavering support to him. This assault is further evidence of the BJP’s recurring pattern of intolerance toward journalists. https://t.co/penlDE661d
— NWMIndia (@NWM_India) February 10, 2024
Meanwhile, news reports have further come in that there is another FIR filed against Wagle. The Indian Express has reported that this time, more people, which includes the organiser of the Nirbhay Bano event at the Rashtra Seva Dal premises in Pune are the subjects of an FIR. According to the report, a police constable named Aniruddha Anerao filed the FIR for allegedly violating a police notice. The FIR also has included members of different parties, including Dhiraj Ghate, the Pune unit chief of the BJP and with 250 party members, Arvind Shinde, the Congress party city chief, Prashant Jagtap from the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, and Sanjay More from Shiv Sena.
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