AFTER GANGSTER’S MURDER, CENTRE PLANS SOPS FOR JOURNOS’ SAFETY

NEW DELHI: A day after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by three men amidst mediapersons in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has decided to prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) for safety and security of journalists, officials familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

The three accused were possibly masquerading as journalists themselves when they opened fire at Atiq and Ashraf place late on Saturday, according to the police. They were nabbed by policemen on the spot immediately after the incident.

The SOPs containing measures to ensure security of journalists covering various events are being prepared on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and under the guidance of Union home minister Amit Shah, the officials cited above said.

“The SOPs are at a planning stage but likely to include details on how journalists should be able to freely carry out their work while police provide security to them and the accused in custody,” one of the officials said.

Interestingly, an MHA advisory dated April 1, 2010 on media policy of police states that “arrested persons should not be paraded before the media”.

On October 20, 2017, the Centre sent an advisory to all states and Union territories, saying “it is the duty of the State to ensure safety and security of journalists who ensure that the fourth estate discharges its role”.

“From time to time, incidents of attack on journalists/media persons are reported in the media. All such cases need to be investigated promptly to ensure that criminals get prosecuted in a time bound manner. States should also take all preventive and deterrent action as deemed required...,” the advisory said.