[Reader-list] INDIA: Journalist threatened by militia death threats

[Shivam Vij]

Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans fronti貥s
Press release

23 November 2006


INDIA
JOURNALIST THREATENED BY MILITIA DEATH THREATS


A journalist who received death threats from a pro-government militia
is in danger in the central-east Indian state of Chhattisgarh.


Afzal Khan, correspondent in Bhopalpatnam for the daily Hind Sat based
in Jagdalpur, central India, was badly beaten and received explicit
threats he would be killed.

"The fight against Maoist groups has been getting out of hand,"
Reporters Without Borders said. "The Chhattisgarh state government's
use of armed militia, responsible for frequent abuses, has very
harmful consequences for the work of local reporters."

Khan and several other journalists were summoned to Bhopalpatnam on 15
November by, leaders of the Salwa Judum militia, Budhram Rana and
Hanif Khan, and accused of helping the chiefs of some villages, who
had suffered abuses at the hands of the pro-government militia.

Khan was then ordered to attend a ceremony in which militiamen burned
effigies of their enemies where he was set upon by police officers who
accused him of writing reports critical of Salwa Judum. He was beaten
and left with two broken fingers, but did not report the incident for
fear of reprisals against his family.

The journalist told Reporters Without Borders that he can be forced to
flee the region with his family because the leaders of the militia had
explicitly threatened to kill him.

"The Union government should react to this situation and protect the
freedom and safety of all journalists in this state", the worldwide
press freedom organisation said. It has sent a letter to the state's
chief minister, Raman Singh.

In January 2006, Reporters Without Borders protested at the treatment
of Kamlesh Paikra, correspondent in the Dantewada district of
Chhattisgarh state of regional daily Hind Sat, who lost his job and
was forced to flee the city after receiving threats linked to his
reports critical to Salwa Judum.--


--
Vincent Brossel
Asia - Pacific Desk
Reporters Sans Fronti貥s
5 rue Geoffroy Marie
75009 Paris
33 1 44 83 84 70
33 1 45 23 11 51 (fax)
asia at rsf.org
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