The Indian Journalists Union has elected Vinod Kohli as its president.

  • June 18, 2022, 12:19 p.m.

CHANDIGARH: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU), one of the oldest journalist bodies in the country, has elected its two principal office bearers. Mr. Vinod Kohli, president of the Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists and a member of the Press Council of India, was unanimously elected as the President of IJU. He was the lone candidate in the fray. Mr. S. Sabanayakan, president, IJA, West Bengal, was also elected unanimously as Secretary General, IJU.

Habib Khan, Central Returning Officer for IJU Election-2022, declared the election results recently at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh.

While talking to Mr. Kohali, he said that the two principal office-bearers of the IJU would have the onerous task of not only rebuilding the union into a vibrant one but also have the tough task of spreading the union’s wings to all parts of the country. Mr. Kohli, who would be leading the IJU for the first time in over four decades of journalistic life, also added, "The primary task is to rearrange the priorities of the IJU." Unity among the splinter groups across the country without any aim or agenda

"Our task is to bring all likeminded unions under one umbrella and give momentum to the movement," he said. He said, elaborating further, "IJU would like to walk the thorny path to achieve its goals nationally." IJU would also focus on its state unions and encourage them to renew their drive to bring in more journalists under their ambit so that a greater cause can be served. "

Kohli has more than 48 years of experience in journalism, having worked for various print outlets. A graduate in psychology and journalism, he has been the General Secretary of the Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists; General Secretary of The Tribune Journalists Guild; and is presently the President of the Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists.

He has been made a member of the Press Council of India (2021 onward). He is also a member of the Election Commission of India, Level Committee on Paid/Fake News (April 2022 onward). He was also a member of the Central Press Accreditation Committee (CPAC), Govt. of India (2004–2007), and was an IJU Convener, Majithia Wage Board Committee for Working Journalists.

Sabanayakan has nearly four decades of experience in journalism after joining the Indian Express Kolkata bureau in 1980. After four and a half years, he joined The Telegraph in Kolkata. After spending exactly a decade, he joined The Hindu, Kolkata news bureau, and served the institution for a little over two decades. Thereafter, he began to contribute to The Assam Tribune group, and in 2018, he joined the Eastern Chronicle when it opened its Kolkata edition.

Sabanayakan was a member of the West Bengal Union of Journalists for ten years before joining the IJA when he took over as editor of The Hindu. After being in the Executive Council for many years, he accepted to head the Indian Journalists’ Association in 2013. After a break of one year in 2016, he returned to head IJA in 2017.

Author : Rajdhani Delhi Representative

Rajdhani delhi representative

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