Hyderabad: The assault on two female journalists in Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s native village, Kondareddypalli, in Nagarkurnool district last week is the most recent in a string of attacks on scribes reported in the state in recent months.
Avula Sarita and Vijaya Reddy, reporters for Telugu Scribe and Mirror TV, demonstrated remarkable courage when they were reportedly attacked on August 22 while covering a story about farm debt waivers in the CM’s hometown.
They said they were accosted by Congress workers while doing a ground report on loan waivers for farmers.
When the journalists were interviewing the farmers to see if their loans had been waived, Congress workers allegedly attacked them, used abusive language, confiscated their phones, and shattered their cameras.
The women also said they were chased up to the police station. They later filed a complaint, accusing six Congress workers. The cops have filed a FIR and begun the investigation.
The journalists have also asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to intervene in the case and end such attacks on journalists.
While the event has elicited outrage from several quarters, the Telangana State Women’s Commission has also taken notice and sought a police report.
The Commission’s Chairperson, Sharada Nerella, wrote to the Nagarkurnool Superintendent of Police, requesting a fair and prompt investigation into the matter. She further asked that the SP produce a detailed action-taken report to the Commission.
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Meanwhile, over 50 women journalists from Telangana have united in a powerful statement supporting Avula Sarita and Vijaya Reddy.
The statement read, “If one were to witness the continual attacks and trolling that women journalists in Telangana face, they would likely ask themselves whether there will be any women journalists left in the state 10 years down the line.”
It added, “The reason for this concern is the online and offline harassment women journalists face. Importantly, if a woman journalist is covering political news, admirers and workers of political parties are targeting them both online and offline.”
The statement also refers to the trolling of the two women scribes by the Congress’ social media wing, which accused them of working for the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) as they have been ‘associated’ with BRS-owned media organisations.
“If their reporting isn’t factual, they can be questioned. If a journalist is vindictive in her coverage, legal measures can be taken. These kinds of attacks have increased with the rise of troll armies from political parties. This shows how vulnerable women journalists are online,” the statement issued by the women scribes added.
It also cited previous instances of women journalists being bullied and harassed, both online and offline.
The women journalists urgently seek the creation of a support structure to address their concerns and ensure that any false accounts or party-run accounts that troll women journalists are held accountable, with the police issuing a statement on the matter.
Last week, BRS working President K. T. Rama Rao brought the attack on two female journalists in Kondareddypalli to the attention of DGP Jitender, requesting an apology from the Chief Minister for what happened.
In truth, the attack on the two women journalists was not an isolated incident; there have been a number of attacks on journalists carrying out their duties in recent months. These attacks not only threaten the safety of journalists but also the public’s right to information, as the media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion.
A journalist was manhandled and detained by police in July while reporting on student protests at Osmania University. These incidents highlight the urgent need for a safe working environment for journalists, where they can carry out their duties without fear of violence or harassment.
Police officers dragged and forced the journalist into a patrol car. He was transported to the Osmania University police station and then released. The scribe suffered minor injuries.
Later, a Zee Telugu team met with Telangana Media Academy Chairman K. Sreenivas Reddy and the DGP to seek action against the police officials involved.
Reporters from other Telugu channels were also prevented from reporting the student protests.
In addition, a cameraperson was barred from entering Gandhi Hospital to record student activist Motilal Naik’s prolonged hunger strike in support of unemployed youngsters.
In February, a journalist was attacked by a group of roughly 15 individuals, including two women, in Hyderabad’s LB Nagar area. The scribe, who ran a YouTube channel critical of the Congress leadership, was violently beaten as he returned home from work.
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–IANS
