By Maktoob
The Press Club of India on Saturday condemned the West Bengal Police’s decision to register an FIR over Maktoob’s reporting on allegations that Muslim IAS and IPS officers were excluded from meetings during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visits to the state.
It called for the FIR to be withdrawn immediately.
In a statement dated 26 September, the journalists’ body said the allegations had been made public by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and reported widely.
“There has been no official denial; yet the police have gone ahead with filing an FIR on the matter,” it said.
The Press Club noted that Maktoob had not been informed about the FIR and learned of it only through a communication from X. It said the police had sought details concerning the creation and login of Maktoob’s X account, as well as Android device details.
The FIR names “UnknownPerson1”, but refers to Maktoob’s social media posts, the statement said.
The National Commission for Minorities has also taken cognisance of Moitra’s complaint and sought a response from the West Bengal government, the Press Club said.
“It is the job of journalism to report serious allegations of this nature,” the statement said. It described the police action against Maktoob as unjustified and called the FIR “an attack on press freedom and part of the pattern to attempt to stop any independent journalism in the country.”
The Press Club urged the West Bengal Police to withdraw the FIR immediately and ensure journalists can work without fear. The statement was signed by its president, Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, and secretary general, Afzal Imam.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com.
