Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists demands FIR in attack on Caravan journalists, calls it “breakdown of law and order”

On 11 August 2020, three journalists working with The Caravan—Shahid Tantray, Prabhjit Singh and a woman journalist—were beaten, subjected to communal slurs, threatened with murder, and sexually harassed, while reporting in Subhash Mohalla, in northeast Delhi.

Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists released a statement condemning the attack and demanded immediate action. The statement in reproduced below. Read The Caravan’s report on the attack here.

PRESS STATEMENT 

BUJ condemns the attack on The Caravan journalists; demands immediate action against culprits and safety for journalists on the field 

The Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists is shocked at the brutal attack on three journalists of The Caravan magazine by a mob in the Subhash Mohalla locality of north- east Delhi on August 11, 2020. One of them, a journalist of the minority community, barely escaped being lynched, and the woman journalist in the team was sexually targeted and attacked viciously. 

The BUJ strongly condemns the assault and deplores the breakdown of law and order in the national capital. It is shocking and reprehensible that no FIR has been lodged as yet by Delhi police, according total impunity to those who perpetrated this dastardly attack. 

According to information from The Caravan, a group of men and women assaulted three staffers—Prabhjit Singh, Shahid Tantray and a woman staff member—to stop them from reporting a story on the aftermath of the Delhi violence. Tantray was particularly targeted when the mob realized he belonged to a miniroty community and barely escaped being lynched. One member of the mob, dressed in a saffron kurta, claimed he was the ‘BJP general secretary,’ a tweet from Caravan magazine said. 

It is learnt that the woman journalist managed to escape to a neighbouring gully but was surrounded by some men, who took her pictures and videos without her consent. She was verbally harassed; a man from the mob exposed his genitals to her, shook his penis and made lewd facial expressions at her. She tried to run towards the Bhajanpura station but was attacked again, this time physically. The man in the saffron kurta was among the mob, as were two women. 

Shockingly, no FIR has been registered as yet, though the assaulted journalists have lodged complaints soon after the dastardly incident. 

The manner in which the mob has got away with this heinous act only demonstrates the complete breakdown of law and order in the country’s national capital. The way the Delhi police, who report directly to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, appear to be dragging their feet over the investigations bode ill for all processes of law and justice. That it should happen to journalists who are on the field is an indication of the chilling disregard the administration has towards the media and its work in investigating and reporting on issues. 

The BUJ demands that an FIR be registered and the culprits booked immediately. The BUJ extends all solidarity and support to the journalists attacked and affirms its commitment to fight for protecting the right of all journalists, irrespective of their caste, religious identity, community or gender, to report freely, without fear or favour. 

Sd/
Indrakumar Jain General Secretary