Various sribe organisations present Memo to Rajnath Singh

SUNIL NEGI

A ten member delegation of various journalists organisations led by the Press Club of India met the union home minister Rajnath Singh at his North Block office and submitted him a detailed momorandum, drawing his attention towards the incrasing attack on journalists in several parts of the country.

They demanded the enactment of a legislation safeguarding the lives of journalists while discharging their professional duties. Expressing their serious concern over the mysoginistic targetting of journalists and threat to their lives the delegation sought the union HM’s intervention in preparing the status report by his ministry of the pending cases of murders and attacks including of fatal injuries all over the coutry during the past decades.

The journalists pointed out that during the past three decades there had shockingly been no conviction of the culprits involved in such cases of assaults and murders of scribes. The memorandum said that the incidents of perpetration of violence and murders have increased manifold and even scrible writing in social media are not being spared with incessant threat to life going on.

It may be recalled that according to the statistics of National Crime Records Bureau over 70 journalists have been killed from 1992 t9 2016 and around 142 were attacked with grievous injuries. There had been no conviction during the last three decades. This anguishing and terrorising trend is still continuing and in August to September 4 journlists have been killed in a row after Gauri Lankesh of Bengaluru, Karnataka. The memorandam further adds that since journalists have to play an important for the functioning of a healthy and vibrant democracy it is imperative that there should be no impediments like intimidation and violence in the discharge of their professional duties.

The home minister Rajnath Singh was urged upon to safeguard the lives of the journalistic community of the country since he is the overall custodiun of the internal security and law and order situation of the country. This would amount to restoring confidence amongst the journalist fraternity of the country.

While demanding the authentic status report on the attacks and murders of the journalists and the action taken by the law enforcing agencies during the past one decade the memorandam also requested Rajnath Singh to help expand the ambit of the working journalists act of 1966 by suitable ammendment in order to accord the protective cover of employment to all journalists including in the electronic and online media.

It also urged for making amendments for adequate monetary compensation to the family of the deceased, the injured journalists and those who become disable in the line of duty. The home minister gave the delegation a patient hearing and assured them to fulfill their grievances.