The Hindu : National : Law to protect journalists sought

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Monday, Jun 29, 2009
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Law to protect journalists sought

Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI: Minister for Forests and Environment P. Ramachandra Reddy has expressed concern over the increasing attacks on media persons and underlined the need for making such physical attacks a cognizable offence through necessary enactments. He cited in this connection the amendment made in to the Act under which physical attacks on doctors, house surgeons and the paramedical staff were made punishable.

He was participating as the chief guest in a meeting held on ‘Physical attacks on media persons’ on Sunday under the aegis of the Chittoor District unit of the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ).

He expressed displeasure over the loopholes in filing of FIRs in cases dealing with attacks on journalists and promised to take up the issue with the Chief Minister.

Chairperson of the AP Press Academy D. Amar said new techniques were being adopted to carry out attacks on media persons and wanted that scribes on duty also must get the same legal protection on par with the government servants.

General secretary of the IJU K. Srinivasa Reddy regretted that India had earned the dubious distinction of being the 14th among the world nations in physical attacks on media persons. Conceding that journalism had now become a hazardous job, he attributed it to growing intolerance among the those in power and the general public to accept positive criticism.

Among other participants were IJU secretary K. Amarnath, president Somasundaram and president of APUWJ, Chittoor, Akkulappa.

Memorial award:

District APUWJ secretary A.S. Dinesh Kumar announced instituting a memorial award in the name of his father A.S. Sundararajulu who worked as PTI correspondent at Tirupati and Tirumala.

Cash awards of Rs.25,000, Rs.15,000 and Rs.10,000 would be paid every year to the best three reporters in the district, he said.

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