India’s war on Maoists, described by prime minister Manmohan Singh as the “gravest internal threat” facing the country has begun to ensnare journalists too.
Laxman Choudhury, a stringer with the Oriya daily Sambad, picked up eight weeks ago because eight leaflets of Maoist “literature” addressed to him were found with a bus conductor, is still in jail.
Newspaper facsimile: courtesy The Indian Express
Also read: BBC journalists secure abducted cop’s release
There’s a new ism in town, Arnab-ism
Speak out. Sign the petition. Free Maziar Bahari
Tags: Churumuri, Indian Express, Laxman Choudhury, Reporters sans Frontiers, RSF, Sambad, Sans Serif
20 November 2009 at 2:13 pm
This is a shame. Also is a poor reflection of CM’s authority.
Can the journalists of the state and in Delhi unite and do something to help the poor journalist caught in the crossfire ?
20 November 2009 at 3:31 pm
how can police arrest him on the basis of 8 leaflets on his name, which wasnt even with him but with some random bus conductor? how can 1 tell if he is not been contrived against by the police!! on what basis has the police charged him with 120 (b), and 124(a). Dont they need substantial poof for this. HAIL the indian POLICE !!
20 November 2009 at 5:03 pm
What this STORY has done is to give one version of the events. Had it been true to journalistic ethics, the police version should also have found its way in this piece.
20 November 2009 at 9:37 pm
It is indeed unfortunate. Once again shame on humanity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These days a fewer journalists are there to work for people’s sake. But at the end of the day they have been paid back only by pathos.
20 November 2009 at 9:38 pm
It is indeed unfortunate. Once again shame on humanity! These days a fewer journalists are there to work for people’s sake. But at the end of the day they have been paid back only by pathos.
20 November 2009 at 10:41 pm
Unfortunately, he does not have political clout like Rahul Sharma. This is how Naxalites are born.
21 November 2009 at 12:45 am
Has the Human Rights Commission taken up the issue? If not his wife should lodge a complaint immediately. Journalists across the country should launch a protest and a mass petition.
21 November 2009 at 1:15 am
Dear huttadallihutta, the ARTICLE (in your words, story) is quite true to journalistic ethics. The writer did try to get the police version. This is the line from the above article which points it out : “…DIG(Southern range) R P Koche, who was asked by the CM to probe into the alleged charges of sedition against Choudhury, said he would not comment as the matter was now sub-judice…”
21 November 2009 at 2:13 am
huttadallihutta, the police version will always be that they have sufficient evidence and they’d bring it before the court.
But the trial just does not progress.
Biggest irony in this piece of news is this phrase “Paris based Reporters sans Frontiers”. They don’t use “sans frontiers” for nothing!
Interesting thing is that Laxman Choudhury’s wife works in a school affiliated to RSS and Sambad is supposedly a Congress friendly newspaper.
21 November 2009 at 8:48 am
Well….as huttadallihutta Says… we do not know this man, his writings or his ways of working there. The truth may lie somewhere in-between.
Rather this campaign should be broader to have transparency in the Criminal Justice System.
As a first step may be we can have a watchdog committee for each PS. This committee of eminent and impeccable record people of that area will overlook case booking, procedure, handling of accused in PS and also help people who come ther to settle disputes amicably, thus saving police and court time.
shanks
21 November 2009 at 11:19 am
nice one
and nice article on yeddy
please throw some light on OMC of GALI also
http://saveandhrapradesh.blogspot.com/2009/11/gali-janardhan-reddy-friend-of-ysr.html
21 November 2009 at 12:59 pm
“fewer journalists ” Haahaahhh. Hardly any. Each to his/her own. Sab Bhike hai.
22 November 2009 at 8:33 am
I have to agree with huttadallihutta on this one. The article gives only one side of the story.
@Nishant
One sentence in an entire article is not “being true to journalistic ethics”, nor is it giving the complete story on the side of the police. It is just putting in a line under the hope that the article won’t be called lop-sided!
Anyways, this entire campaign is ironic in itself! For example, we expect Pakistani courts to take action on its “citizens” based on “EVIDENCE” that our police/investigators/govt. have “provided”. In that case apparently our uniformed members have apparently performed all their duties impeccably.
BUT now, when a “JOURNALIST” is arrested, there is outcry of inhumane behavious by the cops, poor family, bla bla bla…Whatever happened to belief in the “justice system”? or does that apply only to normal citizens(non politicians and non-media/non journalists/non-reporters). I wonder what those “HEROES of indian media” and the self proclaimed “4th pillar of democracy”(NDTV,24×7 etc.) on TV are blabbering about these days. Whatever happened to waiting for the evidence to be presented in the courts and then letting the courts decide!
In India we see the sad face of modern democracy! Media trying to play social watchdogs, but in effect, just propagating their own ideas nd their own propaganda! SHEESH! If anything, it is hightime that the freedoms given to our journalists be curbed to an extent, ‘cos the only thing they seem to be doing is misusing their freedoms.
22 November 2009 at 10:40 am
Literature addressed to him and found with the conductor is rock solid evidence ? Haven’t heard a more stupider evidence — anyone can leave anything.
Why did the police not wait to see if he came and picked it up and established contact. Would they not have gained credibility and intel if the police shadowed him and caught him red-handed ?
Looks like another case of police excess and vendetta. What’s new ?
22 November 2009 at 4:27 pm
Dear Prajwal. the author of this article (and even others from the ‘few’ media houses which have reported this case) cannot force the police to talk if they do not wish to comment. But police version is also what the FIR contains, isn’t it? The few sections in the media that have taken troubles to report this case have mentioned in their reports the contents from FIR.
Also Prajwal, the issue here is not just about a journalist being arrested. I hope you are aware of the unrest in tribal areas of your country (India… I assume you are an Indian), hence this incident is part of a larger context. It is about the police excess in tribal areas. Be it a journalist, tribal, activist or anybody who has a opinion different from the ‘mining lobbies’, continues to face such issues in these remote areas. Your post was quite ironic, as majority of the media ( that lobbies for its advertisers) have not written about/broadcast this incident.
Some points on this issue from sampad mahapatra’s (NDTV) blog
“…On September 20, 2009, the day Laxman was arrested in Mohana, the postman delivered a packet containing copies of the same leaflet at my Bhubaneswar home. And it was, by no means, a one-off affair. For the last several years, the postal department has been regularly delivering letters, leaflets and press releases sent by the Maoists to me and a number of other journalists. We have never ever been questioned about it, let alone being arrested. The Indian Postal department, which has been playing the role of a courier for the banned outfit all this while, hasn’t invited charges of sedition either – unlike the poor bus conductor, who could have hardly known what the packet contained. There are clearly two sets of laws, to be applied (or not applied) as per the whims, predilections and biases of the concerned police officials! ….”
“…In a country where newspapers and television channels happily publish/broadcast interviews with outlaws of all hues, including dreaded Maoists and most wanted terrorists, the fact that Laxman’s arrest and incarceration for well over a month for something as innocuous as being the addressee of supposedly blasphemous material (after all, he was never found in found in possession of the ‘incriminating material’) has failed to create even a ripple at the national level is a sad commentary on the state of our media….”
23 November 2009 at 4:38 am
@nishant
i m not questioning the excesses/abuse of the policing force. what i am questioning is this outcry that the media is trying to create when a journalist has been arrested.
This is the same media that works hand in hand with the govt. and the police force/security forces in branding and labelling intellectuals who express concern about tribals and innocent civilians as maoists. There have been quite a few examples of this recently. This is the same media which does a half-hearted haphazard job of reporting incomplete news, heavily loaded with sensationalism and the bias of the reporter/ journalist reporting the incident/news.
Now to answer your question of my awareness of trouble in tribal areas by mining lobbies etc. in MY country. Yes I am aware of it and I hail from a state where the entire govt. is a mess because of mining lobby and internal struggles.
I am assuming you are not an Indian (by your statements). If you are an Indian all i can say is I am aware of the issues in OUR country and am also well aware of the need to analyse the situation from a balanced viewpoint before making a judgement.
If you are not an indian, as a foreigner, you surely don’t expect me listen to you and blindly make decisions/judgements about MY country’s security forces based on the media reports, the same media whose characteristics are mentioned a few lines earlier. Besides this kind of emotional response by the masses is exactly why we have a judicial system (which is a system with a questionable efficiency never the less is a functioning system).
Also you mention that the media has reported contents from the FIR in this case. I do not doubt that they have indeed done so and hence have provided part of the police story. What I am concerned about is the high possibility that the media might have omitted certain other important aspects of the same FIR in the interest of editing/sensationalising their news. Apparently news runs on popularity basis these days and not on basis of the facts being reported, haven’t you noticed this?
My question here is not whether the police are wrong or not, the question I am raising is why the HELL does the media try to create an unnecessary uproar everytime some action is taken against a reporter/journalist. Why does our media try to project itself and its members as an unfaltering entity with an immaculate history and in turn expect ppl to dance to whatever tunes it decides to play in its reports? Furthermore, if the media can pull up an outcry everytime a journalist is arrested under the basis of reports that the journalists are all clean/honest, do you really expect the police force to offer up its manpower/officers/employees as bait to the media and say they are wrong? Of course they ll try to cover up their mistakes, just like the media covers up its dirty hind!
23 November 2009 at 6:20 am
Prajwal,
Given a chance, these type of cops (who may not be the majority of all cops), will lock you up and subject you to airplane treatment for making seditious posts here on churumuri.
Wonder if that will be proof enough in your books.
23 November 2009 at 10:46 am
There are always two sides to a story. This articles gives only one sided version. I’m not convinced that this journo is clean. If this journo was so concerned about his family then h would not have supported anti social elements.
23 November 2009 at 4:54 pm
Dear Prajwal, first of all, I hope you aren’t taking the comments on this blog personally.
Secondly, where is the “outcry” in the media on this case? There is hardly any, except for a few blogs, couple of english dailies, RSB website, an international site for protection of freedom of speech, and Orissa dailies.
Also, Aren’t you generalizing the entire media? I wonder if this Moffusil correspondent was the one who would’ve worked ‘hand in glove’ with the government and police in all that you mentioned as the ‘nexus’. We have a system where corruption has made its way into administration, judiciary, sports and media. But can you generalize everything on the argument you present? There have been reports of irregularity in declaration of assets among few judges in this country. Now would you say that entire judiciary system is corrupt using the arguments you gave in your previous post? [I say no, but at the sametime woudl want to see reforms.]
Entire Media fraternity doesn’t try to project itself and its members as an unfaltering entity. If it was the case, then the media watchdog outlets like this blog, the hoot ( http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/index.php ) and many other websites and newsletter that are run by journalists themselves, wouldn’t have existed.
Laxman Choudhury is definitely a stringer for local Orissa newspaper. But he is also a human being. This is an alleged case of police atrocity and human rights violation. I wonder what is the problem if there is reporting of alleged human rights abuse cases if the victim is a journalist. Should the few outlets that have bothered to report this case, stop bringing focus to such issues just because it will be looked with skepticism?
The reproduction of the published article on this blog was supposed to
highlight another case of rights abuse in a region that has seen a complete breakdown of law and order. But sadly it has become another discussion thread on media business. Anyways, since you brought it up, here are my two cents:
You have made two good observations regarding the media houses (the ones that have enjoyed success in terms of revenue earned through advertising).
“…Media which does a half-hearted haphazard job of reporting incomplete news, heavily loaded with sensationalism and the bias of the reporter/ journalist[NOT ALWAYS, it is sometimes its the bias of the employer/advertiser] reporting the incident/news…”
“….news runs on popularity basis these days and not on basis of the facts being reported, haven’t you noticed this?….”
Popularity basis? true, very true. But, popular among who? The audience and readers, right? Modern media that run in the style of corporate houses have the concept of target audience. They produce content (and more importantly make the journalists it employs to produce content) which they think is what its target audience wants. You are part of this target audience. I understand you don’t like the majority of the content you consume from the mainstream media. It is high time that the ‘target audience’ create a feedback mechanism to convey that they do not like the content. Unless that happens, if you subscribe to publications and view content from channels that you don’t like, you’ll be complicit in running the business of the dubious channels and publications.
23 November 2009 at 7:55 pm
This is a classic case of Trial By Media…slightest oppurtunity media criticizes the police of inaction…when police arrest suspects, withoput waiting for the investigations/ trial at courts…mediamen go on ranting about “attack on the freedom of the press”…
It is also true that the organizations like PUCL/Amnesty always side with terrorists/ antinationals when it comes to issues related to Human Rights.