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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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
