UP: Editors Guild condemns assault on Unnao journalist, flags threat to media rights in the state

The Editors Guild of India on Monday issued a statement condemning a recent incident where an officer of the Uttar Pradesh government assaulted a journalist while he was covering local body elections in the state.

“Editors Guild of India is deeply disturbed by the continuing trend of heavy-handedness by the state authorities in Uttar Pradesh with respect to journalists and media,” the organisation said.

Editors Guild of India is deeply disturbed by the continuing trend of heavy-handedness by the state authorities in Uttar Pradesh with respect to journalists and media. pic.twitter.com/p35AW0vLjN

— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) July 12, 2021

On Saturday, a video was widely circulated on social media, where Divyanshu Patel, the Chief Development Officer of Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district, could be seen beating up a local journalist. Patel attacked the journalist after he filmed the government officer allegedly helping kidnap local council members to stop them from voting, NDTV reported.

However, the journalist, Krishna Tiwari, did not name Patel in his written complaint to the police, according to Hindi daily Navbharat Times. A First Information Report has been registered in the matter, but it mentions that the journalist was attacked by unidentified men. Patel reportedly apologised to Tiwari and photos of them exchanging sweets were circulated on Sunday.

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