Press Club Kolkata for enquiry against police brutality on scribes

The Press Club of Kolkata on Tuesday held an open meet at Club lawn to condemn the Medinipur incident in which police assaulted reporters on duty. The meet condemned police atrocities on duty-bound reporters and urged the state CM to take ‘visible disciplinary action’ against the irate police staff.

Addressing the gathering at Press Club lawn, General Secretary Kazi Golam Gous Siddiqui and President Premananda Ghosh said, “We strongly condemn the attack and want culprits be booked. Club would meet the Chief Minister soon”.

The incident occurred when some policemen raided a TMC-organised shelter at Medinipur town’s municipal building. The camp providing shelter to homeless people affected by the ‘harmads’ was raided by the police, led by DSP (Operation) Anish Sarkar. When journalists entered and enquired about the raid, the police indiscriminately assaulted the reporters.

Nine journalists were injured in the incident of which four scribes — Mukhtar Ali, Diganta Manna, Sudip Nandy, and Diptiman Mukhopadhyay had to be hospitalised at Medinipur Sub-Division Hospital. Later, Diganta and Mukhar were shifted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata.

Press Club’s General Secretary Kazi Siddiqui said, “The security forces beat the scribes despite knowing their identity as journalists.” Ghosh told TSI that they have witnessed a rise on such incidents in recent years. The Club is actively considering going for an independent enquiry into the incident, headed by a retired judge. The Club would ask human rights bodies and Press Council of India to set up independent Fact Finding Mission on attack on Journalists in West Bengal in recent years.