(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to the interior minister of the state of Gujarat, Gordhan Zadaphia, RSF denounced the attack on some twenty journalists by police of Gujarat State in western India. “After accusing the media of exaggerating the extent of the recent wave of inter-community violence in the state of Gujarat, the authorities of […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to the interior minister of the state of Gujarat, Gordhan Zadaphia, RSF denounced the attack on some twenty journalists by police of Gujarat State in western India.
“After accusing the media of exaggerating the extent of the recent wave of inter-community violence in the state of Gujarat, the authorities of this state used the most reprehensible behavior to prevent journalists from doing their job,” said RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard. A commission of inquiry has been appointed to look into the attack and RSF called on the minister to provide the commission with all necessary resources to carry out a thorough investigation and to ensure that the appropriate sanctions are applied.
According to information obtained by RSF, some 20 journalists and media workers were attacked on 7 April 2002 by police officers in Gandhi Ashram, a district of Ahmedabad. The journalists were covering two peace demonstrations that were disrupted by members of Gujarat Yuva Morcha, the youth section of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, party in power). As the disruptions began, Deputy Police Superintendent V. M. Pargi told Pranav Joshi, a cameraman for the private television station NDTV, to stop filming. Pranav Joshi asked why and was hit in the head, falling to the ground. Witnesses said police then charged the journalists, threatening them with guns. The incident ended about 10 minutes later, after Police Superintendent Shivanand Zha, who had done nothing until then, ordered his men to withdraw. Harsh Shah, a photographer for the daily “Indian Express”, and Harshyal Pandya, a journalist for the private television station ETV, were also seriously injured in the attack. Pranav Joshi was taken to hospital and treated in intensive care. Another photographer, working for the “Times of India”, was hit in the ribs and kicked. Others injured included Aaj Tak TV correspondent Dhimant Purohit, NDTV reporter Sanjeev Singh, “Jansatta” newspaper photographer Amit Dave, reporter Ashish Amin, journalist Ketan Trivedi and photographer Gautam Mehta, both with the “Gujarat Samachar” newspaper. Journalists filed a complaint against the deputy police superintendent shortly after this incident. The minister of the interior for the state of Gujarat issued a press release the night of 7 April denying that police attacked the press. But another official press release, issued several hours after that, said a commission of inquiry would be set up and chaired by a retired High Court judge. The commission was expected to issue a report in three weeks. On 8 April, the Gujarat government announced that Police Superintendents Shivanand Zha and V. M. Pargi were being reassigned, and that a criminal investigation had been launched.
At the beginning of April, Sonal Kellog, journalist for the “Asian Age” newspaper, was beaten up by Gujarat police while she was interviewing Muslim women who had complained of police atrocities.
