Inhuman treatment towards Journalists continues; Editors Guild of India seeks immediate action

The Editors Guild of India is shocked and outraged by the arrest, stripping, and humiliation of a local journalist as well as some members of civil society in Sidhi district, Madhya Pradesh, on April 2, 2022, in retaliation for a protest and associated news coverage of the arrest of another member of civil society.

Kanishk Tewari, a local reporter, was covering a protest against the arrest of a theatre artist accused of making derogatory remarks about a Bhartiya Janata Party MLA and his son.

Surprisingly, the police took photos of the journalists and activists and posted them on social media to shame and humiliate them.

Though the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, has suspended the cops and ordered an investigation into this heinous case, the police and local administration's increasing proclivity to attack and intimidate journalists is concerning. This is extremely disturbing and should be investigated.

On April 7, police in the Balasore district of Odisha chained a journalist's leg to a hospital bed following an alleged assault. The journalist Loknath Delai, on the other hand, claims that he was arrested as a result of his reporting on police corruption and other irregularities.

The inhuman treatment of journalists, stringers, and district reporters by police in an effort to suppress any independent reporting is a major source of concern.

The Editors Guild of India urges the Union Home Ministry to take immediate action in response to police abuses of journalists and civil society members, and to issue firm directives to all levels of law enforcement to respect democratic values and press freedom. Simultaneously, those who abuse state power must face severe consequences.