INS chief condemns scribe's murder

New Delhi, Jan 25: Mammen Mathew, president, INS, has condemned the brutal murder on Saturday, January 23, 1999 of Shivani, Principal Correspondent of `The Indian Express' New Delhi, an intrepid member of the newspaper's special investigative team. The president, INS, while condemning the cowardly act, said that the murder is an attempt to gag the press, by using muscle power, which cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. He stated that despite the threats, the press would continue to play its designated role and would not succumb to any pressure. He deplored the increasing tendency of groups of people to take the law into their hands in reaction of something that a newspaper has published and which is not palatable to them.

Instead of approaching the newspaper in a civilised manner to correct any alleged inaccuracy, it is indeed unfortunate that the route being often adopted is to subject media persons to wanton physical assaults or inflict damage to properties and equipment of newspaperestablishments. Such actions strike a blow at the very roots of our democratic policy. Mr. Mathew urged the Union Home Minister, Lt. Governor of Delhi and all concerned to take immediate steps not only to to apprehend the culprits, but also to take adequate preventive measures to safeguard the lives of media persons, who face grave risk when they live upto their calling in fearlessly reporting events as they happen.

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