80 journalists killed since 1990

Between 1990 and 2015, 80 journalists were killed in the line of service and all cases, except one, are either pending in courts or the charge sheet is yet to be filed.Stating this position to highlight the pitiable state of affairs regarding protection of journalists covering sensitive cases, the Press Council of India (PCI) on Friday demanded the Supreme Court in a PIl proceeding to issue directions for safety of journalists and provide them protection as available to whistleblowers under the Whistleblowers Protection Act. 

The affidavit by PCI was filed in response to a PIl filed by a journalist Satish Jain demanding guidelines to protect journalists and CBI investigation into attacks on journalists.  The PCI said safety of journalists required “highest priority”. A fact-finding Committee of the PCI visited 11 states and reported how cases relating to attack on journalists required to be categorised as a separate crime since police and state administration were not serious to pursue them.

According to the “Death Watch list” compiled by the Vienna-based International Press Institute, India is ranked as the ninth “deadliest” country for journalists. In the last two-and-a-half decades, 80 journalists were killed and almost all of the cases are pending in courts or under investigation. Only in one case involving the gang rape of a Mumbai woman journalist in 2013, better known as the Shakti Mills rape case, the culprits were handed down exemplary punishment by a fast track court within a year.An independent analysis of cases involving journalists showed that only 6.7 per cent of such complaints got solved and culprits punished.