Amid the coronavirus fear and the extended lockdown to tame the spread, north Bengal marked World Press Freedom Day through messages people shared through the digital platform today.

As Darjeeling Member of Parliament Raju Bista and some organisations appreciated the role of journalists, who are especially covering the Covid-19 situation in different parts of the region, including the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital and the Covid hospital in Siliguri, the Siliguri Journalists’ Club (SJC) came up with a slogan that pleaded with people to stay at home and help contain the pandemic.

“We stay at work for you, you stay at home for us,” the SJC slogan said. The Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association (EHTTOA) sent a message to reporters wherein it said: “The pen shall always remain mighter than the sword.”

Similarly, another organization, Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN) said: “We appreciate and acknowledge the tough and great work you all are doing in this challenging time, risking your health.”

“A very thin line separates a democratic nation and a despotic one, and journalists by virtue of their profession are one of the most important pillars of democracy. Whenever journalists have failed to live up to the ethics of their profession, democracy has faltered,” said Darjeeling MP Raju Bista in a message.

Quoting former BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, he added, “You were asked only to bend, but you crawled,” (during the period of emergency). “Everyone who wants democratic values, civil liberties, freedom of speech and expression, and more importantly ‘Freedom of Press’ to be upheld in our nation, needs to reflect and ponder over his words, so that we can ensure our nation will never have to live such a horror ever again,” Mr Bista added.

“I implore all journalists across West Bengal to help restore democracy in the state by fearlessly reporting the truth, and by asking hardhitting questions to those who are unwilling to be held accountable to the public,” he added.

In a Facebook post, the Chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, Anit Thapa, also sent out his “tribute to all the Press, Media & Journalists for their dedication and support in this pandemic situation.” A senior bureaucrat associated with the West Bengal government, on the other hand, said: “This is a motivated call for freedom. If freedom is so motive-oriented, it loses its wings in the shackles of political ambitions.”