Now Reading: Chennai journalists fasted after alleged police attacks in 2001
-
01
Chennai journalists fasted after alleged police attacks in 2001
On August 15, 2001, scores of Chennai journalists observed a day-long fast near the State Guest House, protesting alleged police attacks on reporters and photographers covering a DMK rally. The journalists said…
The Story in Brief
On August 15, 2001, scores of Chennai journalists observed a day-long fast near the State Guest House, protesting alleged police attacks on reporters and photographers covering a DMK rally. The journalists said police assaulted about 15 members of the media outside the Director General of Police’s office on August 12. Several sustained bleeding injuries, while camera equipment was damaged. The police denied attacking journalists to stop their coverage. Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said reporters had been caught between the police and unruly protesters, but journalists rejected the explanation.
The Chennai Press Club, Madras Union of Journalists and Madras Reporters Guild sought a CBI inquiry. Nine members of the Journalists Action Group later approached the Madras High Court, seeking an inquiry and compensation for injured journalists and damaged equipment. The journalists also opposed the Justice Bhaktavatsalam Commission, saying it could not punish those responsible. The Hindu Archives revisited the episode.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy version is that journalists were simply caught in a riot, while the opposite version treats every police action as deliberate censorship. The reported injuries, damaged cameras and competing accounts demand a proper record, not slogans. A commission that cannot fix responsibility or award relief will satisfy neither side. The concrete test is whether an inquiry identifies individual officers and establishes compensation for each documented injury and loss.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
