Eleven journalists were killed in India in 2013; putting it at third position in the International Press Institute’s (IPI) list of media personnel killed across the world during the year. While war-torn Syria topped the list with 16 journalists killed, Philippines and Iraq shared the second position with 13 such fatalities each.
In fact, more journalists have been killed in India this year than in Pakistan which had been billed as “the most dangerous country for journalists” for two years in a row, beginning 2011. Nine journalists were killed in Pakistan in 2013.
The 11 journalists killed include Nemi Chand Jain and Sai Reddy in Bastar, Zakaullah in Bulandshahr, Rakesh Sharma in Etawah, and Rajesh Verma and Israr in Muzaffarnagar. The list also includes rationalist Narendra Dabholkar as he also edited a weekly magazine.
India climbed up IPI’s Death Watch in a year when the number of journalists killed world over during the year came down as compared to 2012 which was the deadliest year recorded with 132 dead. Death Watch includes journalists and media staff who were deliberately targeted because of their profession – “either because of their reporting or simply because they were journalists”. The list also includes journalists killed on assignment.
According to the IPI, 2013 was the second deadliest year on its Death Watch with a total of 117 journalists killed across the world. Besides India, other countries which registered a rise in the number of journalists killed included Mexico, Iraq and Philippines. Syria – where 39 journalists had been killed in 2012 – saw a drop this year to 16.
Of the seven regions into which the IPI has divided the world for Death Watch, the Middle East and North African region topped the list again with 38 journalists killed. Asia came a close second with 37; retaining its dubious distinction of recording the second largest number of journalists killed.
