A three-member team of the Press Council of India (PCI) has expressed concern over delayed announcement of compensation to the family of Indradev Yadav, a scribe, who had been killed recently in Chatra. The team, at the same time, also rejected the initial claims of the district administration that had labeled Yadav as a contractor.
Addressing mediapersons on Tuesday after touring Chatra on Monday, PCI member Rajeev Ranjan Nag also expressed concern over growing number of attacks on journalists in the State.
“The incident was very unfortunate but the State Government after much hue and cry and media pressure announced `5 lakh as compensation for the family of journalist Indradev Yadav that has not been paid yet.
We are also concerned about three-four other cases in which journalists lost their lives. We believe that Jharkhand Government has not shown sincerity on the issue,” said Nag.
Yadav, working for a news channel, was shot dead in Chatra on May 12 allegedly by a splinter group of Maoists. Three persons related to TPC and MCC have been arrested so far for the murder. Initially, the district administration had claimed that he was a contractor which trivialised the situation. However, the PCI team made it clear that Yadav was a working journalist.
“We also met DC and SP and other officials. They referred Indradev Yadav as a journalist only. We also believe that he was mainly a journalist. Some of his relatives may be in other business but was the business was illegal,” asked the member and expressed satisfaction over direction of the probe so far.
He also dismissed the demand for a CBI probe andrather stressed over better compensation and rehabilitation of the affected families.
The team is likely to meet Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Wednesday on his return from Assam in which besides, a set of recommendation
it would seek immediate arrest of the main culprit and wider norm for safety and security of the scribes in the State. Prabhat Kumar Das and Sandeep Shankar were other members of the team that would submit its report to PCI before June 10.
Nag, at the same time, also termed the environment challenging for journalists in the State and expressed displeasure over media houses disowning local reporters and stringers fearing demand for standard facilities and wages.
“We in our larger recommendation would put light on these issues apart from setting up funds for journalists, provision for adequate compensation, separate statute to empower press and also acts for protection of journalists. PCI is serious on these issues,” said the member.