Newly-appointed Chhattisgarh DGP says no rights violations, journalists and activists must be encouraged

The Director-General of Police of Chhattisgarh D M Awasthi after taking the charge said that “there would no human rights violations”, that a “bullet can be fired only when it is fired from the other side”, and that journalists and activists doing their jobs should be encouraged.

He was appointed DGP on Wednesday night replacing 1985-batch officer A N Upadhyaya. Awasthi has been in-charge of anti-Maoist operations since early 2016.

Awasthi in an interview with The Indian Express has said, “There will be no human rights violations, and that is something I have consistently maintained. A gun can only be fired if it is fired from the other end too. Nobody has the right to take the law into their own hands, and the key to the Maoist problem is credible policing where people have faith in the department.”

“I am very clear that if there is someone that helps the police, it is the media. If they are raising the spotlight on an issue, we should look at it and address it. Similarly, if activists are raising some issues of an area, we must look at that and talk to them. The only problem is if a journalist is doing yellow journalism, or is making money by blackmailing in the garb of journalism, there should be no space for that,” he added.

[source_without_link]Indian Express[/source_without_link]