New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India has condemned the police action on journalists covering the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in different parts of the country last week.
The Guild released a statement against the “various acts of violence and brutality committed by police forces”, against media persons in different parts of the country especially in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, the Print reports.
The Guild asked why did the police commit violence brutal action on journalists covering the protests since they were doing so “as part of their Constitutionally guaranteed duties of gathering information and disseminating it among the people through their respective media platforms”.
“Using force or physical violence against journalists on duty throttles the very voice of democracy and media freedom,” said the statement.
Stepping in to protect the journalists from the brutal police action, the Editors Guild has urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to “direct police forces in different states to offer adequate protection to journalists” instead of targeting them for the attacks.
“The need of the hour is to ensure proper and responsible coverage, a goal that cannot be achieved by such acts of violence and brutality against journalists on duty,” it added.
Journalists attacked:
As many as eight reporters from Kerala were arrested in Mangaluru on Friday were released seven hours later after the intervention of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
While another journalist Omar Rashid, a journalist from The Hindu, was detained and allegedly harassed by police in Uttar Pradesh.
Delhi Police, too, allegedly attacked a journalist and cameraman from Mathrubhumi News.