A one-member committee of the Press Council of India (PCI) is set to look into the acid attack on a journalist and his family in Maharashtra allegedly after he published reports against illegal sale of gutkha.
PCI chief Markandey Katju has appointed Anil Aggarwal as the committee member to thoroughly probe the matter and submit a report at the earliest. Katju has also asked Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and the chief secretary to look into the matter personally.
Katju said in his order that he had received a letter from Aggarwal about the attack on Dinesh Choudhary, the Parbhani reporter of Dainik Sholapur Tarun Bharat by five persons. The reporter along with his wife and daughter were injured in the attack.
It was alleged that the attack was carried out because a news item about the large-scale illegal sclae of gutkha, which is banned in the state, was published in the newspaper. It was also pointed out that journalists are being attacked in Maharashtra but no effective action has been taken by the authorities.
A worried PCI chief said such action seriously violated the freedom of press guaranteed by the Constitution and the Press Council was obliged to protect it. Katju said the one-member committee would be assisted by government functionaries.