CPI(ML) Liberation Lok Sabha MP Raja Ram Singh has condemned the forcible eviction of United News of India (UNI) from its premises at 9 Rajaji Marg, terming it a brazen act of state repression and an attack on press freedom.
In a statement issued on 22 March, he said the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry’s Land and Development Office did not give UNI any notice before sending police to seal the premises. Staff members, including women, were manhandled and dragged out of the office. Reporters who were out on assignments were not allowed to enter the premises to collect their belongings.
He said United News of India, one of India’s oldest news agencies, saw its employees subjected to harassment and violence at the hands of the police.
Raja Ram Singh stated that the incident is part of a wider clampdown on press freedom in India, where the fourth pillar of democracy is steadily being undermined by the ruling government. He said journalists across the country are behind bars under laws such as UAPA, NSA and PSA, and many have faced detention and FIRs for reporting on issues that expose the BJP’s corporate agenda and anti-people policies.
He added that the action against United News of India reveals a blatant disregard for due process, with the state relying on coercive force to impose its will. He also criticised the Delhi Police, which functions under the Union Home Ministry, stating that it has repeatedly acted with impunity.
On behalf of the CPI(ML) Liberation parliamentary party, Raja Ram Singh condemned the targeting of media organisations and expressed solidarity with the staff of United News of India who faced police brutality. He said that he, along with other INDIA bloc MPs, will raise the issue in the Lok Sabha and demand justice and accountability.
