Is Odisha turning out to be a deadly zone for Media Men?

Asks, a senior journalist in the Capital City reporting for a national daily about the vulnerability of the scribes.

With almost every week reports of attacks on scribes are pouring in to the office of Media Unity for Freedom of Press (MUFP), things are turning abnormal, feel journalists.

Earlier there was hardly few, where as it has become routine in the Naveen Patnaik Government, which boasts for Media Freedom and Rule of Law.

Today once again a rural reporter has been attacked and MUFP has expressed its worry.

A Media Release of MUFP said that the institution is shocked to know that a local mafia gang has perpetrated a murderous assault on the reporter Ramnarayan Das, in presence of the area Tahsildar and Police, at Nirakarpur in the district of Khurda.

Mr.Das is a reporter in leading daily, The Samaj.

A social worker of Nirakarpur area had declared to immolate himself in front of the office of the local Revenue Inspector in protest against official inaction.

He was against destruction of the eco-system by looters of minor mines on 23 July.

The Tahsildar and Police officials had gone to the spot to dissuade the social worker from self-immolation.

As Mr. Das was taking the version of the Tahsildar in the matter, two local mafias – one of them a former Sarpanch – warned him of dire consequences if a single line was published in his paper in the matter.

Mr.Das protesting, the former Sarpanch Subas Dalasinghroy suddenly attacked him with murderous fury and soon he was render unconscious in the mafia gang attack as the Tahsildar and the police could not obstruct the mafia.

The scribe has narrowly escaped death and the police have registered a case (No.62/10) u/s 294, 323, 324 and 506 IPC.

But despite being the eye-witness, it has not yet arrested the culprits who are free to tamper with the evidences of their crime.

MUFP has taken this murderous attack on a rural reporter seriously and calls upon the Police to arrest the culprits without any delay and thanks the fellow journalists of Khurda district for the solidarity they have shown to Mr.Das.

The MUFP further demands that the Collector of Khurda should grant from the Red Cross fund under his disposal necessary amounts for treatment of the injured journalist and also urges upon the State Government to bear the entire cost of the treatment.