Kolkata, Jul 27 (PTI) Hundreds of journalists of print and electronic media on Monday took out a rally here to protest the alleged assault on media personnel during the July 24 NEET protest in the city, in which several journalists were injured while covering the demonstration.
Reporters, photojournalists, video journalists and digital content creators from Kolkata and several districts participated in the protest rally which began from the Press Club and culminated at Rani Rashmoni Avenue.
The scribes formed a human chain demanding protection for media personnel while discharging their professional duties.
The police have arrested 16 people so far in connection with the violence during a protest march against NEET paper leak on July 24. Five of the arrested people were taken to Dorina Crossing in Esplanade on Monday for the reconstruction of the sequence of events.
The journalists who were injured in the July 24 violence also visited Lok Bhawan during the day and met officials, apprising them of the incident and seeking intervention. Governor RN Ravi was not present at Lok Bhawan at the time.
A delegation of journalists later submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Jalpaiguri in the northern part of the state, seeking concrete measures to ensure the safety and security while reporting political rallies and other public events.
In this connection, Adhikari said attacks on journalists were unacceptable and claimed that under previous governments, complaints lodged by assaulted journalists often remained at the level of General Diary (GD) entries and were not converted into First Information Reports (FIRs).
He said the present BJP government had registered FIRs in connection with the attack and arrested 16 people under non-bailable sections of law.
Adhikari also said that on several past occasions when journalists were attacked or assaulted, he had personally visited the injured in hospitals.
In the memorandum, the media fraternity appreciated the chief minister’s prompt response following the July 24 incident but expressed concern that attacks on journalists while discharging their duties created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity, particularly for women professionals covering political demonstrations and public gatherings.
The memorandum stated that freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution encompasses the freedom of the press to gather, document and disseminate information without fear, intimidation or violence.
It said assaults on journalists not only violate their constitutional rights but also undermine the public’s right to receive accurate and independent information.
Among its key demands, the memorandum sought a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation into the attack, prompt arrest and prosecution of all those responsible, and the best available medical treatment at the state’s expense for injured journalists.
It also urged the government to recover medical and rehabilitation costs from those eventually held legally liable, fix accountability on rally organisers if negligence or violation of police permission conditions was established, and consider administrative action against organisations found responsible for instigating or encouraging violence.
The journalists further called for comprehensive safety protocols for media personnel covering political rallies, demonstrations and protests, including clear operational guidelines for law enforcement agencies and special safeguards for women journalists. PTI BSM NN
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