Sharma has been harassed from the get go, with the police pressuring him into revealing his source. This however, seems to be within the policy of the current dispensation to crush all dissent.

Since his arrest, several Human Rights groups and organisations have spoken out against the treatment handed to Sharma.

The latest to do so is the Delhi Union of Journalists who believe that a journalist must not be pressured to reveal his/her sources. The full text of the Delhi Union of Journalists' press statement can be found below:

DUJ STATEMENT:

The Curious Case of Pushp Sharma Journalist 

‘A journalist has the right to protect his source’- DUJ
 
 
The Delhi Union of Journalists condemns police moves to question journalist Pushp Sharma regarding the source of his story in the Milli Gazette which alleged that the Ministry of Ayush discriminated against Muslims by not appointing them to teach yoga.
 
 Sharma was arrested in Delhi earlier this year under IPC sections 153A (promoting hatred among communities) and 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) as well as section 466 (forgery of record of court or of public register). The police say that he based his story on a false RTI reply, but what is curious is why the case became a criminal one. 
 
DUJ believes, first and foremost, that a journalist must not be pressured to reveal his sources. Further, criminal action in such cases, is an overreaction. The Ministry of Ayush could have simply rebutted the story and resorted to civil remedies, such as a complaint to the Press Council of India, instead of initiating a criminal case and inviting charges of high handedness and an attack on press freedom.  Meanwhile, a Newslaundry investigation seems to reveal the existence of a source which the journalist wants to keep secret.

S.K Pande, President
Sujata Madhok, General Secretary
 

The post Pushp Sharma: The case of crushing dissent at all costs appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Demanding a thorough investigation into the matter, the letter, a copy of which is available with Sabrangindia says that while “Supporting activities abroad that strengthen public opinion in those countries about India and spread goodwill is understandable. But so far as I have known, the Government of India or its Commissions abroad or any of its other arms and institutions do not support the declared activities of political parties abroad. There have been complaints in the past of how the ruling party at the Centre has used subtle methods to promote the activities of their party's affiliates in these countries. But what we see here is a brazen effort and the public declaration that a voluntary unofficial event is being officially supported by your ministry, its mission in Malaysia and other organisations of the government of India.”
 
Yechury has requested a response to the concerns raised as also the matter to be placed on the agenda for discussions at at the next meeting of the Consultative Committee. This comes up at a time when the RSS-driven Cetral government is believed to be considering announcing that membership of the RSS and Jaamat-e-Islaami does not preclude enrolling in government jobs as public servants.

This development comes fast on the heels of news reports, dated June 10 that said that the government was seriously considering the repeal of a 1966 law,
reiterated subsequently in 1975 and 1980, requiring those joining government service to declare that they are not affiliated to either Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or Jamaat-e-Islami. Both the countries prime minister, Narendra Modi and home minister, Rajnath Singh are primary members of the RSS that was a banned organisation following the assassination in cold blood of Mahatma Gandhi. It was the Gujarat government under Keshubhai Patel first, in 2001, that had sought to legitimise RSS membership for government servants.

Several state governments under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in fact a parliamentary wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have already reversed this central government law, be it Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh or Gujarat.
 
References:

1. Sardar’s tight leash on Sangh chief Guru Golwalkar’s pledge of good conduct fails to impress government
2. The Ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is both Hate-Ridden and Supremacist – Part 1
3. CPIM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on the RSS

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