A delegation of journalists’ organisations, led by the Press Club of India, met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum regarding increasing incidents of attacks on journalists in several States of the country.
Pending cases
“The delegation sought intervention of the Home Minister in preparing a status report by his Ministry on pending cases of violence and murder of journalists from all States. They pointed out that over the past three decades there had not been any conviction in cases of violence against journalists,” a statement issued by Press Club of India said.
Mr. Singh assured the delegation that he would give active consideration to all the demands and deprecated violence against journalists, the statement said.
The delegation, led by Press Club of India president Gautam Lahiri, included Press Club of India secretary-general Vinay Kumar, Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) president Shobhana Jain, IWPC vice-president T. K. Rajlakshmi, senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, Rahul Jalali and Nadeem A. Kazmi from the Federation of Press Clubs in India, Arvind Tiwari of the Indore Press Club, Anand Mishra of Press Association, Kalyana Baruah of North East Media Forum and P. K. Manikandam of Kerala Union of working Journalists.
Authentic status report
“It is our request that an authentic status report by the HomeMinistry on various attacks on journalists in the form of threats and physical harm to their person and which form part of government records, be prepared covering the last 10 years,” the memorandum said.
The association urged the government to expand the ambit of the Working Journalists Act, 1966, by suitable amendment in order to give protective cover of employment to all journalists, including those in the electronic and online media.
