PCI’s ‘partisan approach’ raises eyebrows

JAMMU: The Press Council of India’s (PCI) “partisan” attitude towards the Jammu region has raised many eyebrows as it has “ignored” the students of journalism from the region while favouring scholarship and internship for Kashmiri students in the national capital.

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 11

The Press Council of India’s (PCI) “partisan” attitude towards the Jammu region has raised many eyebrows as it has “ignored” the students of journalism from the region while favouring scholarship and internship for Kashmiri students in the national capital.

More importantly, the full council, headed by PCI Chairman Justice (retired) CK Prasad, also preferred not to visit Jammu and hold interaction with the students of journalism studying in various media institutions in the region.

The Central University of Jammu (CUJ); Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Jammu; Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, Jammu; and the IGNOU regional campus offer courses in journalism and mass communication.

“The Kashmir-centric approach of the PCI stands exposed as the official statement did not mention even a single word about the students of journalism belonging to the Jammu region. What is more intriguing is that the PCI confined its visit to the Kashmir valley only. They should have visited Jammu and interacted with the students from the region,” said a student of journalism studying at CUJ.

Pertinently, a three-member PCI sub-committee headed by SN Sinha visited Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh last month to discuss the issues facing the media in the state. Thereafter, the full council announced to visit the Valley only.

“The PCI must clear as to why they have adopted a biased and partisan approach towards students of journalism studying in Jammu. Don’t they need scholarship and opportunity like their brethren in Kashmir? It is ridiculous that the PCI did not utter a single word about providing similar opportunities to journalism students from Jammu,” said a senior journalist, wishing anonymity.

The journalist also regretted that the state government too had adopted a discriminatory attitude towards the region as it had failed to start a journalism and mass communication course at the state-run University of Jammu despite announcing it long ago.

On Tuesday, the PCI’s full council while interacting with journalism students in the Valley had said “scholarships, internships for them in the national capital would help young Kashmiri journalists understand niceties of the field.”