August 30, New Delhi: The Federation of Press Clubs condemns the registration of an FIR against Anandabazar Patrika in the strongest possible terms.

An FIR was registered on August 28 at the Bowbazar Police Station in Central Kolkata against the reputed Bengali language newspaper’s editorial staff under Sections 196, 299, 3(5), and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, for its reporting on August 21 about the vandalism and arson at Jadavpur University that was allegedly carried out by members of the ABVP-the student wing of the RSS that is aligned with the ruling party in West Bengal.

The two editions of the newspaper carried front-page reports about the clashes under two separate headlines, which read “Gerua gundami” (saffron hooliganism) and “Pratik bhenge gerua gundami” (saffron hooliganism breaks emblem), in reference to the vandalisation of the iconic emblem on the university’s gate that was designed by the legendary artist, Nandalal Bose.

The FIR has been registered based on a complaint filed by one Sanjay Shastri Maharaj on August 27, who claims to be a “saffron-clad Hindu monk”. He has stated in his complaint that the newspaper deliberately used the word “saffron” a colour that is associated with “monasticism” and “renunciation” in conjunction with “hooliganism” for “hurting the religious sentiments of crores of Hindus”.

The FIR came close on the heels of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari lashing out at Anandabazar Patrika for using the words “saffron hooliganism” in the headline at a media conclave organised by a television news channel. The FIR names Ishani Datta Roy, Shoma Mukherjee and “others editorial team” (sic.). Invoking Section 196 (causing feelings of enmity between religious groups) and Section 299 (deliberate attempt to outrage religious feelings), both carrying a three-year jail term, is a clear attempt to strangle press freedom.

From the sequence of events, it is apparent that the West Bengal government does not want journalists, newspapers, and the media to speak freely and is attempting to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation against them by misusing the coercive executive powers of the State. The filing of an FIR on such frivolous grounds is a clear violation of Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. The use of the words “saffron hooliganism” is well within the four corners of reasonable restrictions defined under Article 19(2).

The Federation of Press Clubs, which is a collective of eight press clubs across the country, demands that the FIR registered against the editorial staff of Anandabazar Patrika be withdrawn forthwith. Filing such FIRS reeks of vindictiveness against journalists and is certainly not a case of good governance that the Suvendu Adhikari government has promised.