PCI issues show-cause notice to Caravan over story on army’s ‘torture of civilians’ in Poonch

Months after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed The Caravan magazine to take down its story on the Indian army’s “torture and murder of civilians” in Poonch and Rajaouri of Jammu, the Press Council of India has sent a show-cause notice to the media outlet. 

The press body’s notice comes over the broadcasting ministry’s complaint against the report, calling it “misleading” and “one-sided”. The PCI has asked The Caravan to submit its clarification over its report and said that the matter will be placed before the Inquiry Committee of Press Council for taking necessary action. 

The deep-dive titled “Screams from the Army Post”, written by Jatinder Kaur Tur, detailed alleged torture by the Rashtriya Rifles in two districts of Rajouri and Poonch. “On 22 December, 25 men were picked up from several villages in Rajouri and Poonch districts, and taken to three different army posts, where they were severely tortured. Three of them died,” read a portion of the piece. The victims belonged to the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities whom the BJP is trying to woo, it indicated.

The broadcasting ministry’s opaque takedown order under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act had come on February 12, saying that the magazine’s website would be blocked if the order was not followed. On March 1, The Caravan filed a plea challenging the order in the Delhi High Court, asserting that it was a breach of press freedom and fundamental right to free speech. Soon after, the ministry lodged its complaint with the PCI even though the story had already been taken down.   

The Caravan said that the ministry’s complaint is “unsupported by facts and lack a basic understanding of journalistic procedures”. It said the PCI’s show-cause notice is a betrayal of its own mandate to protect freedom of the press. 

The magazine further said that it “fully stands by the story”, which was “built on meticulous reporting” and had undergone “the rigour of our editorial and fact-checking processes, is backed by evidence, and has followed the high standards of journalistic ethics our organisation subscribes to”.  

Newslaundry had earlier reported about how the first notice against The Caravan pointed to “absurd confidentiality” of takedown orders. Read here.

The Modi government frequently issues orders under section 69A. But how does the process work? We break it down here.

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