Srinagar: On Thursday, M Saleem Pandit, the president of the Press Club of Kashmir, expressed strong condemnation regarding the assault on social media journalists by a group of junior doctors at SMHS hospital. This incident occurred during a protest by the doctors in response to the alleged manhandling of an attendant the previous night in the hospital’s emergency ward.
During a briefing about the incident, Mr. Pandit learned that the journalists covering the scene, amidst the chaos caused by distraught relatives seeking to consult the striking doctors, were physically attacked. Colleagues reported that the doctors aggressively confronted journalists fulfilling their professional duties and attempted to drag them away, with even female journalists not being spared.
In his reaction, Mr. Pandit firmly condemned the actions of the doctors and called for an inquiry into the incident. He emphasised the need for a safe environment for journalists in Kashmir when reporting such events. “This was not just an attack on a few journalists but an assault on the entire Kashmir media,” he stated, addressing the concerned journalists at the Press Club.
Furthermore, Mr. Pandit warned that if the principal medical college fails to address the situation and ease tensions between the postgraduate doctors and the media, the Press Club would escalate the matter to higher authorities to seek appropriate actions against the junior doctors involved.
The president, Mohammad Saleem, expressed his solidarity with his colleagues and promised them to stand with his fraternity at all costs.
Zulfikhar Majid
General secretary
PCK
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