Editors Guild condoles death of Indian photojournalist in Afghanistan

July 18, 2021 01:12 am | Updated July 19, 2021 01:22 am IST - New Delhi

Candles are seen lit next to a photograph of Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui, after he was killed while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near a border crossing with Pakistan, outside the Press Club during a vigil in New Delhi, India, July 17, 2021.

Candles are seen lit next to a photograph of Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui, after he was killed while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near a border crossing with Pakistan, outside the Press Club during a vigil in New Delhi, India, July 17, 2021.

The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Saturday condoled the death of Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui in Afghanistan, saying his demise was "an irreplaceable loss" to journalism.

In a joint statement, the Press Association and the Indian Women Press Corps said Siddiqui's death while on duty in a conflict situation has once again highlighted the poor safety conditions of the scribes.

They also condemned the "hateful campaign" being run against Siddiqui on social media after his demise.

Siddiqui, in his early 40s, was killed in Afghanistan on Friday while covering the fighting between Afghan troops and the Taliban.

"We condemn the killing of Danish Siddiqui. His demise on duty in conflict situations has once again highlighted the poor safety conditions of the scribes," read the joint statement.

"We pray for the departed soul. We also condemn the hateful campaign running on social media after his death," the journalist bodies added.

The Guild, in a statement, said, "EGI condoles the death of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist on July 16 in Afghanistan, while he was covering a clash between Afghan security forces and the Taliban near a border crossing with Pakistan." "Siddiqui's death is an irreplaceable loss to journalism." At the same time, the Guild said it is "deeply disturbed by the vicious and highly regrettable racist campaign" being run against him by some sections of the social media.

His death is an occasion to remember him and all the journalists who have died in conflict reporting, it said.

Over the past decade, Siddiqui had covered some of the most heart-wrenching stories of conflict and humanitarian crisis from South Asia and the surrounding regions, the EGI noted.

It said his work was a living testament to the axiom of photojournalism, "if your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough".

"Siddiqui's death is a stern reminder of the great risks journalists take to report from the frontline of conflict," it added.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.