GENEVA: The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a global media safety and rights body, has expressed concern over the murder of Indian scribe V. Jaganmohan Reddy, who was hacked to death on Tuesday while on a morning walk at the Venkatagiri Kotain area under the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
Local media reported that Jaganmohan (40) was targeted by a group of miscreants with lethal weapons and died on the spot. The ABN Andhra Jyothy scribe was later sent to Palamaneru Government Hospital for an autopsy.
Various journalists’ bodies organized protest demonstrations at Tirupati Press Club, where the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) claimed that Jaganmohan was attacked just a few days after he reported on sandalwood smugglers in the locality. The national journalists’ body also demanded the formulation of a strict policy to safeguard working journalists and press freedom in general.
Also read | Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai Returns as PCI Chairperson, But Journalist Seats Remain Empty
“PEC condemns the murder of the Telugu daily journalist on April 28 and urges the state government to thoroughly investigate the motive behind the killing,” said Blaise Lempen, adding that the authorities must nab the culprits and punish them under the law. He also stated that Jaganmohan Reddy became the first media victim in India this year and the 26th across the world.
PEC’s South and Southeast Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed that Chittoor is the home district of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, where Jaganmohan was murdered. The victim scribe is survived by his wife and two children.
It may be mentioned that India lost six journalists to assailants last year, including Mukesh Chandrakar, Raghavendra Vajpayee, Sahadev Dey, Dharmendra Singh Chauhan, Naresh Kumar, and Rajeev Pratap Singh.