Srinagar: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir range Vijay Kumar on Friday said that district SSPs have been directed to brief media men about gunfight updates and that the media persons are once again advised not to inch closer to gunfight sites as that poses threat to their lives.
The IGP said that if media persons go closer to the operation sites, the same may disturb the men involved in anti-militancy operations and the live coverages of gunfights may trigger law and order situations in other areas. Replying to a query at PCR Srinagar whether injury to the three civilians can be reported by the media, the IGP said: “I reiterate that no live coverage of encounters will be allowed. A stray bullet can hit any media men if you go closer to the operation site. Covering live encounters can pose threat to the journalists.”
As per a local news agency, Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the IGP said that live coverage of gunfight can instigate people in other adjoining areas of the operational site and lead to law and order situations. “I have directed district SSPs to brief media men about encounter updates in their respective areas, whenever there is any encounter,” he said.
Pertinently, KNO was the first to report the police advisory that barred media men from covering live gunfights in Kashmir. (KNO)
