The Odisha Union of Working Journalists affiliated to the Indian Journalists Union (IJU), New Delhi has strongly condemned the violent attacks on working journalists at Kerala.
In a letter to the Chief Minister of Kerala, the union leaders said, “It is a matter of shame, sorrow, affliction and agony that in Kerala, which has uphold the freedom of the Press, such a dastardly deed by the perpetrators amounts to stifling the voice of democracy.”
Union president Sugyan Choudhury and general secretary Niranjan Biswal urged Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan to take exemplary action against the offenders to uphold the freedom of the press and the law of the land.
The Kerala working media persons were attacked in the Kerala High Court premises in Eranakulam on July 19 and 20. On July 21 at the Thiruvanathapuram Vanchiyoor Court premises, some lawyers have let loose violence against the media persons and outside the court also.
The antisocial goons working in tandem with some lawyers reportedly went on a rampage against media persons injuring many of them and their cameras and got their other equipments damaged.
A section of the Kerala High Court lawyers broke the law, unreasonably upset over a molestation case registered against one of their members, vented their fury at media persons who were doing their job.
A large number of journalists under the leadership of IJU president Mihir Ganguly and former member of the Press Council of India have strongly protested the attack in Kolkata. A large number of media persons under the leaderships of veteran journalist and Secretary General of IJU G Prabhakaran strongly demonstrated against the attack in many parts of the Kerala. They urged the Prime Minister and the Union Information Minister to intervene decisively into the matter.