The Karnataka police has threatened to use the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Rahul Belagali, a reporter of the Prajavani newspaper and demanded information on a Maoist he interviewed.
Condemning the threat, the Editors Guild of India said in a statement here that the Shimoga police had demanded information on the Naxalite leader who the reporter had interviewed for an article on Naxalism which appeared in his publication.
When the reporter refused to comply, the police also sent a notice to his associate editor, Padmaraj Dandevali, threatening to use the same Act against him, the statement said.
"Professional ethics demand that media persons should protect their sources and not reveal their identities, when they request privacy. The confidentiality of a source is a well established journalistic principle. Without such privilege, sources would not be willing to speak freely to the media, whose duty it is to report the facts fairly and objectively from all points of view to present a true picture to the public," the statement added.