Delhi police registers FIR over Press Club protest

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Friday registered a FIR over raising of slogans by Kashmiri students in the Press Club of India (PCI) compound on Wednesday to protest the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The PCI has decided to expel one of its members over the issue.

Police officials said that a FIR was lodged against unknown persons under sections dealing with sedition and criminal conspiracy and the matter was under investigation.

They said that the FIR was filed on the basis of complaint made by PCI.

The PCI in a statement on Friday announced it had decided to expel its member Ali Javed over the incident.

“Taking exception to the incident that happened on February 10, 2016, the Press Club of India has strongly condemned it and after receiving reply to show cause notice from the member Ali Javed, it was decided to expel him from the club,” said club general secretary Nadeem Ahmad Kazmi.

He said the PCI had taken “serious view” of the matter and lodged a police complaint.

Kazmi said the press club normally gives its premises for holding press conferences or seminars on hire on recommendation of a member.

“We wish to make it clear that we are in no way responsible for such an incident. On the contrary, when our managing committee came to know about the happenings, members present at the club premises went to the conference hall and forcibly got the premises vacated,” he said.

Kazmi said that the club had also decided to form a three-member committee headed by its vice-president Sri Krishna to draft the rules and regulations for giving the club on hire to members and ensure that there was no recurrence of such an incident.