Journalists have always been targeted by the underworld, political goons and sometimes even the police.
In crime reporting, the passion to get breaking news sometimes demands a very heavy price, and eminent crime reporter and investigative journalist J Dey paid the ultimate one, raising the question whether a journalist is really free to write against anti-social elements.
The attack on media persons is not new to this city. Journalists have always been targeted by the underworld, political goons and sometimes even the police. In 1997, known crime reporter Baljeet Parmar was shot at at Antop Hill. The firing was believed to be carried out by underworld gangster Chhota Rajan. Earlier, in 1982, Ulhasnagar journalist working with Blitz, AK Narayan, was hacked to death by one Maruti Yadav at the behest of the underworld which was unhappy with his exposes connecting local politicians to them. Narayan’s body was packed into two metal boxes and left at his own doorstep. Though Yadav was nabbed, no underworld connection could be established.
In June 2009, four media-persons were manhandled in Parel by men allegedly owing allegiance to the Bahujan Samaj Party. Television journalist Amit Joshi was brutally assaulted by local goons with sticks and rods while he was covering an incident in August last year.
To get hard and authentic news, an investigative reporter has to build sources within the police, as well as among the anti-social element groups. “The more we get into this, more the risk. We are not only watched by the police, but also the underworld,” said a senior journalist.
Though the risk of being shot or assaulted is an integral part of a crime reporter’s life, it is his family which has to live in the constant fear of losing him. Mine, too, often advises me to get out of crime reporting and take up another beat.
A sustained campaign against the underworld has often resulted in a death threat to journalists.
DNA reporter Shahkar Abidi, who has been writing biting reports about the operations of the fading Ravi Pujari gang, earned himself one recently. Pujari called up on the office phone line and personally issued the threat. His message was curt: “Give up writing against me or watch your back.”
With growing attacks on scribes in the city, it is for the government and enforcement agencies to ensure that the freedom of press is not breached or curtailed.
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