Srinagar, June 26: Authorities Tuesday imposed restrictions on media, stopping journalists on their way to the gutted shrine of Dastgeer Sahab (RA) here.
Photojournalists told Greater Kashmir that they had to face harassment by police and paramilitary men."It was embarrassing. Our press cards were not honoured by men in uniform," said Tauseef Ahmad, AFP photojournalist.
"Even crisscrossing by lanes to reach the spot proved failure. They were everywhere and some of us were stopped at Baba Demb and others at Nowpora."
"As we were stopped, a Delhi based news crew was allowed in to cover the Chief Minster"™s visit to the shrine," they said.
Kashmir Press Photographers Association has condemned the restriction on journalists."It is cowardice on part of J&K Government to stop our photojournalists and hide the reality," a spokesperson of the association said."Government today went ahead of embedded journalism. The situation like this has not even surfaced in conflict-ridden countries like Palestine and Iraq," he told Greater Kashmir.
"When our photojournalists questioned Police and CRPF why was only one particular channel allowed, they said it was a direction from Information Department of Jammu and Kashmir Government," the spokesperson added.
Police and paramilitary men also resorted to beating of a newspaper agent in Rainawari and smashed the windowpanes of his shop."At around 7 am police and CRPF flung newspapers out of Pandit News Agency. His shop was also damaged. He had a narrow escape," said Mushtaq Ahmad, President Newspaper Agencies Association.