Naxal war: Are cops shooting the messenger or the voice?

Bilaspur, Dec 14: The arrests of two journalists in Chattisgarh tells a dark story of how naxals managed to stay on top of the police who have been relentlessly fighting this menace which is a major concern in this part of the state.

The police and the central teams which are deputed in Chattisgarh to fight the naxal problem have been facing an issue pertaining to their movements.

Realising that their movements were being tracked and the information shared with the naxals, the police made two arrests over the past couple of months. Santhosh Yadav and Somaru Nag, the two journalists who have been arrested are accused of allegedly providing information to the naxals.

Both have been working for various news media outlets and the police suspect that they shared information about the movement of police and other security forces with the naxals.

Shooting the messenger or the voice

The security mechanism has always complained that there are a group of journalists and film makers who tend to romanticise the naxal movement. This does not do good to the fight against the naxals.

These persons have to realise that romanticising the naxals today is wrong as they have believed in unwanted violence, a senior official from Chattisgarh informed.

However there has been a different take on the issue in parts of Chattisgarh and other nasal affected belts. Journalists feel that the police are trying to curb their voice. If atrocities are reported by the police, then what is wrong in that.

The police need to differentiate between what is support and what is reporting, the journalists in the area say.

The police however say that the intention is not to shoot down the voice, but the messenger. The police say that over the past couple of years they have noticed that in the name of reporting on the naxal issue, some journalists have been gathering information and passing it on to the naxals.

There are instances to show that the naxals had advance information about the force movement and we suspect that there are a few journalists who have shared the same, the police also say.

OneIndia News