(RSF/IFEX) – On 31 January 2003, RSF called on Tamil Nadu state government leader Selvi J. Jayalalithaa to either provide evidence of journalist Krishna Kumar’s reported involvement in a five-year-old murder or release him at once. Kumar, of the fortnightly Tamil newspaper “Nakeeran”, was picked up on 29 January, in the morning, officially in connection […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 31 January 2003, RSF called on Tamil Nadu state government leader Selvi J. Jayalalithaa to either provide evidence of journalist Krishna Kumar’s reported involvement in a five-year-old murder or release him at once.
Kumar, of the fortnightly Tamil newspaper “Nakeeran”, was picked up on 29 January, in the morning, officially in connection with the killing of a young woman five years ago. However, his paper says his arrest is yet another example of the steady harassment faced by “Nakeeran” and its journalists because of their criticism of police brutality.
A Criminal Investigation Department (CID) agent arrested Kumar, also known as Makaran, at his home in Coimbatore. Police officers reportedly mistreated him during their interrogation. The CID is apparently seeking to find evidence linking the journalist to Veerappan, one of India’s most notorious bandits. The CID has also tried to implicate the paper’s editor-in-chief, R.R. Gopal. For the past few years, police have tried but failed to arrest Veerappan and his gang, who roam the state.
Another “Nakeeran” journalist, Sivasubramanian, has been in prison in neighbouring Karnataka state since November 2001, accused of supporting Veerappan’s gang (see IFEX alert of 6 December 2001). Gopal has always defended Sivasubramanian. “Nakeeran”‘s editor-in-chief views the journalist’s jailing as retribution for articles he wrote about abuses committed by the special security forces in their search for Veerappan.
Pressure on “Nakeeran”‘s staff has increased since the December 2002 publication of a book by a former Karnataka state police chief in which he accused Gopal of associating with Veerapan. The editor has repeatedly protested against the harassment faced by him and his staff. The authorities do not tolerate contacts between Veerappan and certain journalists in the region. Gopal has interviewed the bandit several times.
