Reporters to boycott his meetings
local Congress and BJP leaders have demanded that false cases allegedly concocted by the Athagarh MlA and filed against mediapersons be lifted soon.
“Mediapersons work independently for the cause of the society. False cases filed against some mediapersons should be lifted soon,” BJP’s defeated candidate for the Athagarh seat in the last Assembly polls Biswa Sunder Mishra said in reference to FIRs filed against two reporters, Sambad’s Ardhendu Mohanty and Naxatra Jyoti’s Sarbeswar Panda, recently.
It is alleged that the MlA, in an intention to take revenge over some news items that stated some BJD workers illegally owned Government lands and sold them to the proposed KVK Neelachal Power Plant, has set some SC/ST people to lodge false and fabricated atrocity cases against the reporters who published the news items.
local Congress leaders too condemned the alleged act of the MlA and organised a silent candle rally here in protest.
It is also alleged that the MlA had earlier suppressed two mediapersons, who reported use of machines by BJD workers in a MGNREGA project in the block, by filing atrocity cases against them. The cases have been pending in the District Judge Court for over five years.
The local police are also acting on the MlA’s finger tips to resister such cases, alleged some mediapersons.
This time a driver, who is a BJD supporter, has lodged an FIR and the police registered a case against scribe Ardhendu Mohanty within two hours of the lodging of the FIR.
Meanwhile, members of the Athagarh Press Club have decided to boycott all programmes of the MlA till the latter apologises for his alleged misdeeds.
The club members have also decided to submit memorandums to the Chief Minister, Governor and the DGP in this regard.
There have been increasing number of cases against the journalists in the state where their freedom to inform public is compromised.