Itanagar, 27 Oct: The Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) and the Arunachal Press Club (APC) have strongly condemned the reprehensible incident that occurred on Monday at the APC premises, where unknown miscreants attempted to disrupt a press conference addressed by Arunachal Pradesh Schedule Tribe Forum (APSTF) president Tai Shiva.
According to reports, the situation escalated when the miscreants allegedly attacked Shiva’s vehicle as he was leaving the venue. Although no physical injuries were reported, eyewitnesses expressed serious concern over the breach of security and the safety of journalists present at the press conference.
In a joint statement, the APUWJ and the APC termed the act an affront to democratic values and an attempt to intimidate individuals exercising their constitutional right to free expression. They further warned that any act posing a threat to journalists or disrupting media activities within the premises would not be tolerated.
“Violence and disruption have no place in a civil society that upholds the principles of dialogue and transparency. We call upon all right-thinking citizens and members of the media fraternity to condemn such cowardly acts that seek to undermine freedom of speech and public accountability,” the organisations stated.
The two media bodies also appealed to individuals or organisations holding press conferences at the APC to maintain the sanctity and decorum of the venue.
The incident took place during a press conference convened by APSTF president Tai Shiva, who was responding to allegations made by the Ato Riang Tagio Society (ARTS) concerning his earlier remarks about one of their members allegedly being an offspring of a non-APST.
