Press Club condemns detention of journalists covering protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
PCI criticises Bengal Police’s FIR against Maktoob Media for its reporting on alleged exclusion of Muslim IAS and IPS officers from meetings during Amit Shah’s visits to the State.
The Press Club of India (PCI) has strongly condemned the detention of two journalists covering a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi. In a statement released on September 26, 2026, the PCI expressed shock and concern over the decision by the Delhi Police to detain Frontline's Vedaant Lakhera and The Wire's Mohammad Irfan, both of whom were at Jantar Mantar on September 25.
The PCI highlighted that both journalists were wearing their press IDs at the time of their arrest. The PCI president, Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, and Secretary-General Afzal Imam, stated that the incident was deeply concerning, as the Delhi Police, directly controlled by the Union Home Ministry, had treated journalists in this manner.
The PCI also criticized the West Bengal Police for filing an FIR against Maktoob Media, claiming it was an attack on press freedom and part of a pattern to stifle independent journalism in the country.
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