THE National Alliance of Journalists (NAJ) and the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) joins the Editors’ Guild of India in expressing concern at the ‘searches’ /’surveys’, conducted by the IT department on BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai on February 14, as ‘ominous’.

They are of the firm opinion, that indeed a new era of undeclared press censorship and curbs on independent journalism is spreading to curb all forms of independent thinking aimed to numb all forms of dissent. This, in its opinion, is dangerous and ominous for democracy and smacks of even darker portents.

The statement, issued on February 14, notes that even the proposal to amend IT rules 2021, to tighten the screws on internet censorship, came only soon after the Information and Broadcasting ministry blocked any access to the BBC documents. It also repeats its opposition to both increasing police powers of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) and interlinked attempts to coax, cajole or browbeat all forms of media into subjugation to suit government machinations and policies.

The NAJ and DUJ note further, that the virtual ban on entry to the central hall of parliament to veteran correspondents and columnists, which is continuing, is also a continuum of a way of undemocratic thinking.