(IFJ/IFEX) – In a 22 September 2003 letter to Indian Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the IFJ expressed deep concern over the murder of Parmanand Goyal, a journalist and Kaithal Unit president of the Haryana Union of Journalists. It is the IFJ’s understanding that at 7:00 a.m. (local time) on 18 September, Goyal, a […]
(IFJ/IFEX) – In a 22 September 2003 letter to Indian Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the IFJ expressed deep concern over the murder of Parmanand Goyal, a journalist and Kaithal Unit president of the Haryana Union of Journalists.
It is the IFJ’s understanding that at 7:00 a.m. (local time) on 18 September, Goyal, a reporter for “Punjab Kesari”, was called outside his home by three unidentified persons and shot dead in front of his family.
Goyal was arrested in two corruption cases earlier this year and recently released on bail, although his family has maintained that the cases against him were fabricated. According to information obtained by the IFJ, Goyal’s son has claimed that his father’s violent murder was preceded by the unknown visitors telling the reporter to cease publishing articles criticising the police and Haryana Chief Minister Shri Om Parkash Chautala. Goyal’s son has also asserted that police refused to register a First Information Report as requested by the family.
Goyal is the second journalist murdered in the state of Haryana in the last two years. Earlier, journalist Ramchander Chhattarpati was killed in Sirsa (see IFEX alert of 26 November 2002).
The IFJ is deeply concerned about the increasing violence faced by journalists and the implications for press freedom, and calls on the Indian government to act immediately to restore the right of journalists to report on political matters without fear of retribution.
