The Editors Guild of India has released a statement following the registration of a second FIR against The Hindu journalist Mahesh Langa on October 23, saying “punitive action” against journalists doing their work is “worrisome”.
The second FIR — following one regarding alleged GST violations — is about alleged theft because Langa was reportedly found to possess some “confidential documents” of the Gujarat Maritime Board. The details of it are, however, not yet known.
Also read: ‘The Hindu’ urges Gujarat police to drop fresh charges against Mahesh Langa
Course of work
Saying it has noted the development “with concern”, the Guild stated, “Journalists are often required to access and review sensitive documents in the course of their work, and initiating punitive action against them for doing their work is worrisome.”
Langa, a senior assistant editor with The Hinduhas been in custody since his arrest on October 8.
Also read: How pan-India probe led to uncovering of multi-crore GST scam in Gujarat
Second FIR not accessible online
The Guild hoped in its statement that Langa would “not be deprived of fair and speedy justice” and observed that it was “of grave concern” that the second FIR was not accessible to the public online, since the police have reportedly put it under the “sensitive category”.
“It is important that the Gujarat police disclose details about the second set of accusations levelled against him (Langa) over possessing the confidential documents,” the statement read.
Freedom of press
The Guild added that it “stands for the freedom of the press”, reiterating “the need to create a conducive environment across the country that allows all journalists to pursue their professional duties responsibly”.
The Guild’s statement comes a day after the editor of The HinduSuresh Nambath, urged the police to drop the charges against Langa in an X post.
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