where??? pls call me...... On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 11:21 AM, Anivar Aravind <[email protected]> wrote: > > http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?storyid=4088&mod=1&pg=1§ionId=6&valid=true > > Once the media was full of stories against the police and the CPM in > this case, Pinarayi Vijayan came out openly against the journalists. N > K BHOOPESH describes the ruling Left Front's record on press freedom > this year. Pix: Pinarayi Vijayan > > Posted Wednesday, Sep 16 00:11:08, 2009 > > The Kerala unit of the CPM and the media have had a strained > relationship for a very long time. But after the present Left > Democratic Front government came to office the relationship declined > further. Recently the CPM had hardened its position against > independent media raising serious questions about the future of media > freedom in the state. Last Sunday home minister and CPM politbureau > member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan warned the media persons that the law > will be enacted to force journalists to furnish details about their > reports to police if need be. But the minister was forced to withdraw > his statements owing to an outcry in the state assembly. > > The latest party salvo against media came after some television > channels broke stories on how the police connived with the powers > that be to torpedo the enquiry into the killing of a young > businessman. Paul Muthoot, vice president of the Muthoot group of > companies was found murdered three weeks before near Ramangiri in > Alapuzha district. Police arrested 19 persons in this case within > three days. But the main accused Kari Satheesan's mother told the > media that the knife police ‘found' out from their house was actually > planted by the police themselves. > > After four days Asiannet using a sting operation talked to a > blacksmith in Alapuzha in which he candidly told the reporter that > the knife police recovered from the accused's house was in fact > manufactured by him at the instance of a circle inspector. This > infuriated the police as well as the ruling party. Other media were > also carrying stories against police investigation. Once Asianet broke > the story every other media, except CPM mouthpieces Deshabhimani and > Kairali T.V carried stories which was against the police version of > the murder. Some papers even pointed out that real culprit behind the > murder is getting protection from home minister's son. > > Once the media was full of stories against police and the CPM in this > case, State secretary and another politbureau member from the state > Pinary Vijayan came out openly against the journalists. He clearly > drew the lakshman rekha for journalists. According to him the > journalist have no right to counter what police is saying when it > comes to a murder case enquiry. A murder case investigation is the > sole prerogative of the police, into that realm no journalist should > try to enter. > > The Home minister went a step further in his press conference in > Kozhikode the other day and said the Govt. is mulling the possibility > of using relevant sections of CrPC, to issue notices to journalist, > from whom the police or authorities wish to know more based on their > reports. He insisted that such provisions are used in Tamil Nadu. But > the Tamil Nadu police authorities denied reports that they issue > notices to journalists to gather more details about their stories. > When the sandalwood smuggler Veerapan kidnapped film actor Rajkumar, > Nakkeran Gopalan, a journalist who had close links with Veerapan, was > asked to furnish details about the secret hiding places of Veerapan. > This had provoked serious discussion regarding the social > responsibility of the journalists in Tamil Nadu then. Many veterans in > this field had then suggested that generally journalists' > responsibility is towards the society and not towards the state. > > The Home minister's statement and the Party secretary's vehemence > against journalists drew wide condemnation, which forced the home > minster to backtrack on the subject. In the state assembly he said > that the government is not contemplating any plan to control the > media. Chief minister V.S. Achuthandan also said that his government > will not at any point come against the media. The opposition staged a > walk out against home minister's earlier statement. > > This is not the first time that CPIM is browbeating the journalists > in Kerala. This year alone there have been several instances of CPIM > cadres attacking the offices of media organizations. During the > election campaign to the Loksabha, a group of activists belonging to > CPM pelted stones against the Manorama News office in Kozhikode. They > were angry because the channel carried stories which was not good for > the LDF candidate in Kozhikode constituency. Manorama's OB van was > destroyed in that attack. > > Manorama's Malappuram reporter was also attacked by the Democratic > Youth Federation of India workers because he carried a story which was > not liked by the party. A day before the Lok Sabha election results > were announced Mangalam Daily's office was attacked in Kannur. In > Palakkad also the same news paper's office were ransacked by the CPIM > cadres after Mangalam carried a story against party district > secretary Unni. The daily reported that the district secretary was > hand in glove with a tainted businessman. Mathrubhumi's Thalassery > office was attacked after the Governor sanctioned permission to > prosecute CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the multi-crore SNC > Lavelin case. Bundles of Mathrubumi copies were also destroyed. > Manorama's Kannur reporter was manhandled by the party cadres after > they lost election in the last Lok Sabha. > > Pinarayi Vijayan's public outcry against the then editor of > Mathrubhumi daily K.Gopalakrishan, last year, is still fresh in the > memory of the public and journalists. This was after the Mathrubhumi > broke the story on nexus between party leaders and a wanted criminal > and lottery don. The daily published with documentary evidence that > CPM mouthpiece Deshabhimani had received Rs 2 crore from the tainted > lottery man. Rather than appreciating the media for its investigation, > the party came out in the full against the daily. The CPM which calls > itself as guardian of democratic rights had no qualms in coming out > against the media which reports stories that does not suit party > leaders' ulterior motives. Independent media activity, according to > the party diktat delivered often by party leaders and cadres, is that > it should never attempt to trouble the party, let alone try to write > or shoot about its wrong doings. > > Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's statement and the CPM state secretary's > warning towards media has produced serious discussions similar to one > held in Tamil Nadu years back. > > Vijayan who avoids media as much as possible, called two press > conferences in the party state headquarters recently. Both were > regarding the businessman's killing and the media approach to the > police enquiry. In both the press conferences he demonised the media > for not enquiring into the antecedents of slain businessman. According > to him the media should have enquired about the deceased rather than > focusing on the relationship between various killer gangs and the > Party. He told media that they should report only what police and > authorities say. He even advised them what they should do and where > they should not venture! All attempts by the media to unearth the > unholy relationship between some party leaders and gang groups were > decried as the attempt by imperialist forces to malign the > revolutionary forces in the state. Media according toVijayan, who is > accused number seven in the SNC-Lavelin corruption case, act like > pawns of imperialism. > > Vijayan's ire against media goes back to the run up to the last > assembly elections. It was after the media tried to reflect popular > sentiment in favour of V.S.Achuthandan, Vijayan's bete norie in the > party, becoming the Chief ministerial candidate, that Vijayan and the > party state committee came out against the media in full. The party > turned against media again when the V.S. Achuthandan Government acted > to evacuate illegal encroachment in hill areas of Munnar. The media in > general had been very appreciative of the govt's stand on the same. > This has also not gone well with the party and Pinarayi Vijayan who is > having almost total control of the state committee. But the way in > which the party leaders are now taking on the journalists in the > state is a serious cause for worry. It is ironical that the central > leadership of the CPM had not commented on the issue vis-a vis party > and independent media. > > -- > "The resources of the world are for us all to share. Let us affirm our > faith in that common cause" - Dr. Ilina Sen > > > >
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