The first two days of the first assembly session under the new BJP government in Delhi have triggered concerns about press freedom with several journalists temporarily blocked from entering the assembly premises. These journalists include those with an accreditation – which should have allowed them unrestricted access.
At least three journalists were stopped at the entrance while Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her cabinet took the oath of office on the first day, Newslaundry has learned. On the second day, five more journalists were stopped at the entrance.
Ranjeet Singh, secretary to the assembly speaker, attributed the incident to a “miscommunication”. “I was not aware of it when it happened, but once I learned about it, we resolved the issue,” he told Newslaundry.
A widely circulated screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation featured the names of these journalists in a list sent by an assembly staffer to an unidentified recipient. Newslaundry could not verify the authenticity of the message but we reached out to the staffer as well as Speaker Vijender Gupta for comment. This report will be updated if they respond.
Even as some journalists were temporarily barred at the assembly, minister Parvesh Verma reportedly told the media that the BJP would take reporters for a “guided tour” inside “Sheesh Mahal” – the BJP’s jibe over AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s former residence.
‘Temporarily fix’
On Monday, when the new chief minister was being sworn in, at least three journalists – Niranjan Mishra from ANI, Deepak Rawat from ABP News, and Sweta from PTI – were stopped at the assembly gates and denied permission to cover the session.
Five others were stopped the next day, including Pulkit Nagar from Times Now Navbharat, Mohit Bakshi from News Nation, Javed Mansoori from News18, Devesh Bhati from Zee News, and Namit Tyagi from Jantantra. Most of them eventually managed to enter after an intervention from the speaker’s office.
Most of these journalists had extensively covered the Delhi government during the Aam Aadmi Party’s tenure, and at least four of them have an accreditation from the Delhi government’s department of information and publicity.
Meanwhile, journalists who have been covering the Delhi government for decades said that such restrictions on accredited journalists had never been seen before. “Since the Congress era, DIP-accredited journalists have always been allowed into the assembly. Those without accreditation could apply for a pass with an authorisation letter from their media organisation. But an outright ban like this is unprecedented,” one journalist told Newslaundry on condition of anonymity.
Some reporters at the assembly also alleged a pattern to the restrictions. “BJP beat reporters from media organisations were allowed inside whereas those who have been covering the Delhi government previously were blocked,” one journalist claimed.
“AAP had imposed entry restrictions at the Delhi secretariat and their party office, but never in the assembly. The assembly represents both the governing party and the opposition, so no one should be denied access,” another journalist alleged.
“Right now, entry is happening only through the speaker’s intervention. This is a temporary fix. No one knows what will happen next,” another remarked.
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