Alarmed over the growing attacks on mediapersons all over the country and pressing upon its demand for enactment of Journalist Protection Act, over 1000 journalists from all over the country staged a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on December 7 under the banner of National Union of Journalists (India). The protestors also demanded constitution of Media Council and Media Commission.
Journalists from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and many other states joined the protest. After a brief sit-in the journalists marched towards the Parliament House.
Prior to the demonstration in Delhi, demonstrations were organised all over the country at more than 200 places and memorandums were presented to the Prime Minister through the authorities concerned. Addressing the protestors NJU(I) president Ras Bihari pointed out that over 200 incidents of attacks on journalists were reported from different states during the last one decade. At least one journalist is reported to be killed in Assam for the last 14 years. A high level delegation also presented a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Country’s largest Labour Organisation Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, National Organisation of Bank Workers, Indraprastha Press Club, Press Club of India and many other organisations also extended support to the protest march.
BMS north zone organising secretary Pawan Kumar said the BMS has been supporting the demands of journalists for a long time and it wants total curb on hire and fire system, illegal retrenchment, implementation of wage board, constitution of Media Council, Media Commission and also an Act for protection of the journalists. Senior NUJ(I) leaders Dr NK Trikha, Rajendra Prabhu, Ratan Dixit, Prasanna Mohanty, KG Suresh, Press Club of India president Rahul Jalali, general secretary Nadim Kazmi also addressed the protesters. n
ISIS Module Busted in Maharashtra The 20 year old youth, Abdul Malik, who was arrested on September 25 for attacking a police constable while protesting against the beef ban, has now been proved to be a member of an ISIS module destroyed by Maharashtra Police. According to State Anti-Terrorism Squad, six youths in the module in Yavatmal District had been brainwashed him to join the Islamic State (IS). |
