DUJ-KUWJ protest against closure of Tripura daily

The Delhi Union of Journalists and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists staged a protest here Friday against the deregistration of 'Daily Desher Katha', a 40-year-old daily in Tripura.

The publication of Daily Desher Katha, the mouthpiece of Tripura CPI(M), was suspended last Monday by the Registrar of Newspapers of India (RNI), based on a verdict passed by the district magistrate of West Tripura.

The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) held demonstration outside Tripura Bhawan against the decision of the state government and the Registrar of Newspapers of India (RNI).

They submitted a memorandum to the Tripura government and handed it over to the State Resident Commissioner, demanding the action be revoked.

"The registration was cancelled on flimsy grounds that there were some anomalies in a declaration of ownership. The real reason, however, is that the BJP government wants to suppress dissenting voices. It does not want Opposition voices to be heard or read among the public. Such a step is a blatant attack on the freedom of the press," the memorandum said.

DUJ general secretary Sujata Madhok said such actions were unheard of even in the time of Emergency and remind one of the British regime, where newspapers were banned at the whims and fancies of the colonial rulers.

The founder of the Daily Desher Katha, Gautam Das, said newspaper was known for adversarial stories exposing the present BJP government in Tripura.

Indian Women's Press Corps, Press Club of India, Press Association also condemned the move of the RNI.