North-east Delhi violence: Media bodies express concern over attack on journalists

The Press Club of India and Indian Women's Press Corps on Tuesday expressed serious concern over journalists on duty on duty being attacked while they were covering the violence in northeast Delhi since last Sunday. The journalists' associations said that television media seems to have been specifically targetted.

New Delhi: Two media bodies in the national capital on Tuesday expressed concern over the attack on several journalists who were covering violence in north-east Delhi since Sunday and urged the police and the home ministry to "ensure that media is not brought under physical assault."

In a joint statement, Press Club of India (PCI) and Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) expressed "serious concern that journalists on duty have come under attack while covering the communal violence rocking northeast Delhi since last Sunday".

The Chronology behind the violence

"Several of them have been hospitalised. They have been punched and attacked by communal mobs, and police were either absent or have not come to help. Shockingly, mobs were checking religious credentials of journalists," the journalists' bodies said.

A journalist associated with a Jammu based news received a bullet injury and two reporters from a Delhi based were beaten and punched by rioters in northeast Delhi, which saw fresh violence on Tuesday.

Areas affected due to violence in Delhi

Delhi based journalist Arvind Gunasekar was hit by rioters while he was at one of the spots in northeast Delhi and lost a tooth. His fellow reporter, Saurabh, who tried to shield him, was punched, the channel said.

Many other journalists took to social media to share tales of how they were heckled and some alleged they were questioned about their religious identity.

The journalists' associations said that television media seems to have been specifically targetted.

"A television journalist has sustained gunshot injuries. Another has been hit in the face and has several teeth missing. A woman journalist has also sustained injuries. Television media seem to have been specially targeted.

We have little doubt the attackers actively sought to prevent videography or photography that may lead to them being identified," they said.

Blaming the police authorities, the bodies said that "lethargic police and politicians instigating communal violence cannot escape blame for attacks on the media".

"A few weeks ago, journalists were physically assaulted by the police themselves when reporting the violence that attended the Jamia protests. Earlier, police stood mutely while supporters of right-wing mobs that had attacked JNU heckled and hit journalists. We expect the authorities, particularly the police and the Union home ministry, to be alive to democratic sensibilities and ensure that media are not brought under physical assault," the PCI and IWPC said.

On Monday, too, reporters had a tough time covering the violence with many of them threatened and heckled.

The death toll in the violence in northeast Delhi has climbed to 13.

(PTI Report)