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Namrata Biji Ahuja
Namrata Biji Ahuja

JOURNALISTS' SAFETY

Gauri Lankesh murder wakes up MHA to safety of journalists

home-ministry

“The fourth estate is an important institution of our democracy and it is the duty of the state to ensure safety and security of journalists,” said the Union home ministry in a first of its kind advisory issued to all states and UTs. The fourth estate ensures that citizens are able to express their opinions freely without any fear or coercion as provided under the Constitution, says the advisory expressing concern over safety of journalists.

The immediate trigger for the advisory appears to be the shocking murder of Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru and Shantanu Bhowmik in Agartala, and concerns being raised by certain quarters about the tardy pace of investigations. The SIT probing Lankesh’s murder has failed to arrive at any conclusion so far and those demanding justice have already lost hope of nailing the real perpetrators of the crime. Lankesh, the editor of a Kannada weekly tabloid, was shot dead outside her house in Bengaluru’s southwest suburb on the night of September 5, sparking outrage and street protests across the country.

An advisory on “safety of journalists” has been issued by the centre-state division of the ministry on October 20, which has taken a note on the attacks on journalists taking place from time to time. The ministry has said that all such cases need to be investigated in a “time bound manner so that the criminals are prosecuted.”

“The states should take all preventive and deterrent actions,” said the ministry. It reminded state governments that they are already empowered to provide security to individuals based on the threat perception .

While law and order is a state subject, the Centre has been emphasising the need for a robust criminal justice system with significance on prevention and control of crime. The ministry further reminded the states of its earlier advisories on media relations issued in 2010 and May 2017, highlighting the importance of time bound investigations for speedy delivery of justice.

The home ministry has said that states need to enforce the law so that a “peaceful environment prevails allowing journalists and media persons to exercise freedom of speech and expression in their professional pursuit and investigations are completed in a time bound manner and trust in the criminal justice system is maintained.”

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