Hundreds of journalists gathered in Raipur on Saturday to protest against the arrest of a Bastar-based journalist under the “draconian” Chhattisgarh Jan Suraksha Adhiniyam for his alleged Maoist links.
The scribes also protested in front of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh’s bungalow demanding immediate release of journalist Santosh Yadav and removal of Bastar range Inspector General (IG) of Police S.R.P. Kalluri.
“Mr. Kalluri is known for his brutal ways and highhandedness. By arresting Santosh Yadav and slapping the draconian law on him, he wants to terrorise the journalist community in Bastar, but we will never allow it. Today was the first phase of protest. We know we will have to fight a long battle to secure the release of our journalist brother,” said Mr. Kamal Shukla, the editor of a news weekly.
“If we don’t raise our voice in this case, then it would become difficult for Bastar journalists to report from the restive region. We already face threats and pressures from both sides [police and Maoists]. A few days ago, some Maoist leaders in Bijapur issued a directive to the journalists that they should seek Maoists’ permission before reporting from the interior area of the district. Such dictates cannot be tolerated,” said Yukesh Chandrakar, a reporter based in Bijapur. The journalists have also formed a ‘Patrkar Suraksha Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti’ to fight for the release of Santosh Yadav.
“This is not the first time a journalist has been targeted in Bastar. Two of our journalist-friends were killed by the Maoists in 2013. Almost every journalist working in Bastar face threats of arrest under the Jan Suraksha Adhiniyam. The resistance against the oppression of journalists in Bastar had to start at some point and the arrest of Santosh Yadav only provided a trigger,” said a scribe based in Jagdalpur.
