In the course of a week, Indian law enforcement officials assaulted two journalists covering demonstrations in different corners of the country.
The following is a 29 March 2013 CPJ Blog post by Sumit Galhotra, CPJ Steiger Fellow.
Anyone who has been to India or is familiar with the country knows how chaotic it can be: from the congestion on the streets of Delhi to the messy way in which democracy functions. And for journalists, covering the chaos of India can be risky business. This week alone, Indian law enforcement officials assaulted two journalists covering demonstrations in different corners of the country.
On Monday 25 March 2013, seven officers belonging to a security force in eastern Odisha state allegedly beat Subhakanta Padhiary, a correspondent for an unspecified Odiya-language daily, while he was covering demonstrations staged by members of the opposition party outside the chief minister’s home. “All of a sudden about seven [officers] came to our bike and started beating me with lathi [sticks]. They continued thrashing us even after we showed them our ID card,” Padhiary told local media. One senior police officer even walked away from the scene as officers continued beating the scribe, reports said.
Read the full story on CPJ’s website.
