GUWAHATI, July 26 - The Journalists� Forum Assam (JFA) has expressed serious concern over the murder of another scribe this year in Mumbai and demanded visible action by the authorities concerned.
The forum argued that the present scenario, where killers of mediapersons often escape accountability, would only encourage the perpetrators to spoil the space for critical and brave journalism.
It may be mentioned that the commercial capital of India on July 17 witnessed the killing of Raghavendra Dube, a middle-aged journalist. He was found dead in a Mumbai suburb area soon after his assigned coverage of a police raid on a night bar.
Two other reporters namely Santosh Mishra and Shashi Sharma also went for covering the police raid and both of them faced assaults from the bar staffers. Dube was reportedly beaten and stabbed to death and his body bore several deep injury marks.
Several Maharashtrian media organisations have condemned the killing and demanded action against the culprits.
Meanwhile, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has come out with a statement, urging the authorities for an investigation into the murder of Dube to �shed light on all the circumstances and bring those responsible to justice�.
The organisation also asserted that perpetrators of violence against journalists in India usually go unpunished. Although an alarming number of journalists have been killed in connection with their coverage of corruption, politics, crime or other sensitive subjects, the government has yet to adopt any measures to protect media personnel.
�It is shocking that Dube�s murder was reported soon after the killing of two journalists (Jagendra Singh of UP and Sandeep Kothari of MP) in the month of June this year,� said a JFA statement issued by president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria, adding that everyone must work together to improve India�s press freedom index, which is presently at 136th position out of 180 countries in the RSF list.
