The Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ), the Andhra Pradesh Newspaper Employees"™ Federation (APNEF) and the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) strongly condemned the brutal attack on G Stephen Babu, Editor of CrimeToday Monthly on Sunday night at Vinukonda in Guntur district. He was admitted to a hospital at Guntur where his condition was stated to be critical.
In a statement here, president D Somasundar, general secretary I V Subba Rao of APUWJ, Ambati Anjaneyulu, president, Andhra Pradesh Newspaper Employees"™ Federation (APNEF), IJU secretary-general Devulapalli Amar and Press Council of India Member K Amarnath said it was unfortunate that within two months of the murder of a journalist, AVN Shankar at Chilakaluripeta in the same district, an attempt was made on the life of another journalist.
"We are very much concerned over escalation of attacks on journalists in Andhra Pradesh where the incidents of victimization of journalists for their professional writings are few and far between. We urge upon the police to immediately nab the culprits and bring them to book. We also appeal to the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to pay personal attention on the cases of attacks on journalists and take stringent steps to keep up the morale of the working journalists in the State," they said. They demanded that the State government bear all medical expenses of the seriously injured journalist Stephen Babu, who was in a serious condition in Guntur hospital.
The APUWJ, APNEF and IJU called upon the State Government to immediately constitute state level and district level Committees to look in to Attacks and assaults on journalists.
Press Council Forms Team to Probe Attack on Journalists in AP
NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over attacks on journalists in Andhra Pradesh, the Press Council of India (PCI) has constituted a three-member fact-finding team to probe two such cases in the state.
Condemning the attacks, PCI chairman Justice C K Prasad also asked the state government to take nessary remedial steps so that journalists are allowed to carry out their professional obligations without any impediment.
In a statement released here, the PCI chief said that the attack on January 4 "on G Stephen Babu, Editor of 'Crime Today', in Andhra Pradesh within a short span of murder of M N V Shankar, a part-time correspondent of an Andhra Pradesh daily, is a cause of concern for all those who believe in the independence of Press."
Attack on journalists shakes the foundation of democracy, he added.
The statement said that the PCI has constituted a fact finding team consisting of Press Council members Kosuri Amarnath, Prakash Dubey and Ramachandra Rao to investigate the facts of both the cases.
The team is being requested to submit the report expeditiously, preferably within six weeks, it added.