annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Freedom of the press
The Assam government continued to
deny academic freedom. On 14 November
2004, Japanese research fellow Makiko
Mimura was stopped from presenting her
research paper on Nellie massacre of 1983
at a seminar organized in Guwahati. 9
On the night of 27 November 2004,
Star News cameraman and Government
accredited journalist Sharad Kapoor was
illegally detained by the police at the TT
Nagar police station in Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh after he was picked up from his
house without any arrest warrant. The
police suspected him of stealing police
wireless set at Panchseel Nagar, where a
police party reached to sort out a group
clash, where the journalist was also
allegedly involved. The police allegedly
manhandled female members of Sharad
Kapoor’s family at the time of arrest.
When Star TV bureau chief Deshdeep
Saxena reached at the police station to
seek bail, Saxena was allegedly threatened
of dire consequences. Police refused to
give Kapoor bail although the sections
against him were bailable. When Kapoor
sought to lodge a complaint against
manhandling of female members of his
family, he was threatened to be booked
under charges of robbery. Later on, a
representation made to the Chief Minister
Babulal Gaur by senior scribes including
Hindustan correspondent Dinesh Gupta,
Sahara Correspondent Sanjeev Shrivastav
and India TV Correspondent Anurag
Updhyay. The Chief Minister ordered a
probe into the incident. 10
Political activists also continued their
attacks on the media.
On 28 August 2004, Nikhil Wagle,
editor of a Marathi daily, Mahanagar, and
two other journalists- Yuvraj Mohite and
Pramod Nigudkar, were attacked by
alleged members of Shiv Sena at Malvan
in Sindhudurg district. An attempt was
made to blacken the editor’s face and all
the three journalists were beaten him.
They were reportedly badly injured in the
attack. On 24 August 2004, Sajid Rashid,
editor of the Hindi daily, Hamara
Mahanagar, was stabbed near his office
by two persons. He had to be admitted in a
hospital. Mr. Rashid is a member of
Muslims for Secular Democracy that has
been demanding an end to the practice of
triple ‘talaq.’ 11
On 12 November 2004, Anal Abedin,
a reporter of Anandabazar Patrika, a
leading daily newspaper in West Bengal
was attacked by masked attackers. They
attacked his wife Tandra Abedin and two
year old daughter. When Tandra Abedin
managed to grab one of the attackers and
exposed his face, she saw that he was
Akbar Kabir alias Babul Kabir, the exchairman
of Berhampur Municipality. As
the leader was recognized, the attackers
ran away immediately. On 13 November
2004, the Berhampore Police arrested 15
out of 30 suspects including Mr. Akbar
Kabir, out of 30 suspects. They were
subsequently produced before the Sub
Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM)
Court, Beharampore on the charges of
attempt to murder, use of arms and
weapons, molestation, illegal gathering
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