Sangeeta Pisharoty elected first woman President of Press Club of India
New Delhi: Senior journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty was elected President of the Press Club of India on Sunday, becoming the first woman and the first journalist from the Northeast to head the prestigious body.
Pisharoty’s panel registered a clean sweep in the elections, winning all office-bearer and managing committee positions with a decisive 21–0 margin. She secured 1,019 votes, defeating Atul Mishra, who polled 129 votes, and Arun Sharma, who received 89 votes.
Afzal Imam was elected Secretary-General with 948 votes, defeating Gyan Prakash, who secured 290 votes. Jatin Gandhi was elected Vice-President with 1,029 votes, defeating Prahlad Singh Rajput by a margin of over 900 votes. Aditi Rajput was elected Treasurer and P R Sunil Joint Secretary, both unopposed.
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In the elections to the 16-member Managing Committee, Niraj Kumar topped the list with 932 votes, followed by Abhishek Kumar Singh with 911 votes, Jahanvi Sen with 903 votes, Ashok Kaushik with 892 votes, Kallol Bhattacharjee with 882 votes, Praveen Jain with 878 votes, Agraj Pratap Singh with 865 votes, Manoj Sharma with 861 votes, Nyanima Basu with 851 votes, P B Suresh with 838 votes, V P Pandey with 833 votes, Prem Bahukhandi with 831 votes, Sneha Bhura with 829 votes, Javed Akhtar with 823 votes, Rezaul Hasan Laskar with 781 votes, and Sunil Kumar with 780 votes.
Reacting to her election, Pisharoty said the result reflected the collective confidence of Press Club of India members in her panel’s vision and its commitment to free, fair, and responsible journalism.
Outgoing President Gautam Lahiri thanked the members for their support and said the new leadership would continue efforts to make the Club more inclusive, responsive, and relevant to the changing challenges faced by journalists.
Outgoing Secretary-General Neeraj Thakur said the election of the first woman President marked a significant moment in the history of the Press Club of India and reaffirmed its commitment to equality, diversity, and democratic values.
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Two held in UP's Bijnor for contact with Pakistan linked Dubai handler
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Bijnor (PTI): Two men were arrested in this Uttar Pradesh district on Friday for allegedly being in touch with a Pakistan-linked handler based in Dubai, police said.
Circle Officer, Najibabad, Anjani Kumar Chaturvedi said Uvaid Malik and Jalal Haider were arrested following inputs on their alleged links with Aqib, a resident of Meerut currently staying in Dubai.
According to police, Aqib had earlier come into the spotlight after a video surfaced on Instagram purportedly showing him displaying an AK-47 rifle and explosives.
During interrogation, the arrested men allegedly told police that Aqib used to incite youngsters against Hindus and encourage anti-national activities, the officer said, adding that detailed questioning of the accused is underway.
On April 6, Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Jha said the video first surfaced in November last year. Aqib, a native of Sathla village in the Mawana area of Meerut, was allegedly seen in the video brandishing weapons.
Following the viral clip, a case was registered at the Nangal police station by sub-inspector Vinod Kumar. However, the then station house officer and investigating officer Satyendra Singh had recorded Aqib's statement and filed a final report, stating that the weapons seen in the video were toys, effectively giving him a clean chit.
Police said fresh developments have now revealed Aqib's suspicious links and the probe has been handed over to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
The SP said action has been taken against the officials concerned, with the then SHO and investigating officer suspended and Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh removed from his post.
