Inclusion of journalists in home stay attack charge sheet condemned

Inclusion of journalists in home stay attack charge sheet condemned

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sept. 23, 2012: The inclusion of two journalists in the charge sheet filed with regard to the Mangalore home stay attack of July 28 has been condemned.

B. Madhava, district secretary of the CPI (M), said that the inclusion of Naveen Soorinje, a reporter for Kasturi, and Sharan, cameraman for Samay, in the charge sheet is like shooting the messenger who brought the news. Stating that the journalist duo just did their duty, he said that the world came to know about the attack because of them. He called it an attack on the freedom of the press.

Questioning the credibility of the charge sheet, Vidya Dinker said that the police investigations haven’t been transparent, adding that the police have not provided documents regarding call records, station house diary, and other details sought by Vijayakumar, one of the victims of the home stay attack, under the RTI.

Stating that it is wrong to include Mr. Soorinje in the charge sheet, she said that he was not part of the group that attacked the young people, adding that he had just arrived on the spot in response to the information he had received. His presence prevented the victims from being portrayed in the wrong manner, she added.

Voicing similar opinions, DYFI District Secretary Muneer Katipalla said that this shows that the police are not happy about the media’s reports on the home stay attack. He demanded that the names of the journalist duo must be immediately withdrawn from the charge sheet.

Unwilling to talk about the charge sheet, Mr. Vijayakumar, victim of the attack, said that he is weary and wants to see the case over at the earliest possible. He also said that he was attacked once again when he went to see a mosaru kudike in Attavar on August 16, adding that he has lodged a complaint with the Mangalore South Police. He has also left Mangalore and is trying to find a job in Bangalore.

ACP T.R. Jagannath, however, has defended the charge sheet. He said that the police had enough evidence against the 44 accused and that only 24 of them have been arrested so far. He said that the police had call records to show that the two journalists were in touch with Subash Padil several hours before the attack, adding that the two journalists had not called the police to alert them about the attack.