Srinagar, Sep 03 (KNS): Several photojournalists were thrashed by police while they were heading towards the interiors of Batmaloo in Srinagar to carry out their professional duties on Saturday.
Following the thrashing, the journalists – including one staff photographer of Kashmir News Service (KNS) – staged a dharna to protest against the police action.
Photojournalists who got injured in police action inlcude Umer Asif, Jehangir Ahmad Faisal Khan, Aman Farooq and Bilal Bahadur.
Meanwhile, Kashmir Press Photographers Association (KPPA) condemned the abusing and ruthless beating up of over a dozen photojournalists by J&K Police while they were performing their professional duties in Batamaloo area of Srinagar on Saturday.
A KPPA spokesman said the policemen at Batamaloo on seeing the photojournalists arrive in the area stopped them and when the photojournalists showed them curfew passes, policemen declined to honour the curfew passes, tore them and started abusing and beating them ruthlessly with canes.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
The spokesman said to protest their beating up, the photojournalists staged a sit-in protest on the spot and left after SSP Srinagar, Amit Kumar assured action against the policemen who have misbehaved and manhandled over a dozen photographers representing various local and international media outlets.
He said the policemen who roughed up the photojournalists told them that they were only executing the orders of SHO Batamaloo, who had told them to deal sternly with the press photographers by beating them to pulp.
The KPPA spokesman condemned the attack on the photojournalists by police and said that if action is not taken against the policemen who were involved in their beating up, they would be forced to hit the streets and cordon the chief minister’s residence. (KNS)