After the Maoists faced a lot of flak for the killing of Odia Doordarshan video journalist Achyutananda Sahu in an attack by them in Chhattisgarh, the Leftwing extremists have clarified in a release that they had no intention to kill the journalist.
The Darbha Division Committee (DVC) of Maoists on Friday claimed that they had no intention to target the media, but Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush.
“The security personnel have been forcefully allowing construction of road from Aranpur to Burgum area since October 1 without caring about the destruction of cultivation of poor tribals in the process. Protesting the development we had carried out an ambush near Aranpur and as the security personnel reached the spot we attacked them. But we had no idea that a media team was also accompanying them. We had no intention of killing mediapersons since they are not our enemies but friends,” the statement by the Maoists said.
Condemning media reports of their intentional attack on journalists, the Maoists have also urged the media and other persons not to accompany police especially for poll-related duties.
Notably, Sahu, a video journalist from Ghusuramunda village of Balangir district along with two other security personnel were killed in an attack by Maoists while carrying out an election coverage programme near Nilabaya of Aranpur area in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on October 30.
Meanwhile, on Friday a prayer meeting was organised by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and by Prasar Bharati for Sahu in which Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore paid tributes to Sahu for his dedication to duty and also expressed his sympathies to the cameraman’s family.