West Bengal media demand probe into lathicharge on scribes

Kolkata, Feb 1 (PTI) Journalists throughout WestBengal today condemned the police charge on reporters inMidnapore town in which five scribes were injured, anddemanded an enquiry to book the guilty.

The Kolkata Press Club, which held an emergencymeeting of its members, also resolved to appeal to the ChiefMinister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to ensure safety and securityof the scribes while they were discharging their duties.

Press Club secretary Kazi Golam Gous Siddiqui said theclub would also explore legal options since it being a partyto the case that would be made out against the erring policepersonnel.

Press Clubs of different districts are of the opinionthat the police action was politically motivated sincepolice was directed not to allow media to enter inside theTrinamool Congress-run guest house where many displacedvillagers are being sheltered after being evicted allegedly byMaoists and CPI(M) cadres.

West Midnapore district Journalist Association GeneralSecretary, Suman Ghosh in a memorandum to the Governor, M KNarayanan submitted through the District Magistrate, SurendraGupta, said, "the police excess was politically motivated sothat its ill-intention is not exposed to the people throughmedia."

The General Secretary to the South 24 Pargansdistrict unit of the Indian Journalists Associations, SajahanSiraj said " the entire exercise was an attempt to cover upthe ruling party''s misdeeds."

While in Bardhaman, 72 journalists brought out aprocession from the court campus to the office of the districtmagistrate condemning the incident, Bankura Press Club GeneralSecretary, Aswini Mohanty demanded a judicial enquiry.

Hooghly Press Club General Secretary, FalguniBandyopadhayay said one of the injured journalists DiptimanMukherjee of ''Bartaman'' newspaper was severely beaten up andcurrently being treated in Midnapore Sadar hospital.

Demanding an enquiry, he said, the recent humiliationand harassment of Gautam Dhole of ''Kolkata TV'' inside Singurpolice station should also be probed and the erring policemenpunished.

Similar condemnations were made by the Press Clubs ofother districts as well.

Two inmates of a Trinamool-run relief camp in WestMidnapore were arrested by joint security forces for allegedlinks with Maoists after which party workers blocked roads andwere baton charged by police resulting in the injury of 26people, including five journalists.