The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked states to investigate all cases of attacks on the media. In an advisory, it said states must strictly enforce the law so journalists can exercise their freedom of speech and expression in a “peaceful environment”.
“The fourth estate is an important institution of democracy,” the Home Ministry said in its advisory issued on October 20, the notification for which was placed in the public domain on Tuesday. “It ensures that citizens are able to express their opinions freely without fear or coercion.”
It is the duty of all states to ensure the safety and security of journalists, it added.
There have been a number of attacks on journalists in the past few months. A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader and journalist, Rajesh Mishra, was shot dead by bike-borne assailants on October 22 in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district. Journalist KJ Singh and his mother Gurcharan Kaur were found dead in their Mohali flat on September 23.
On September 5, journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her house in Bengaluru. Unidentified men fired at least four shots at her before escaping by motorbike. The Karnataka government has appointed a Special Investigation Team to look into her murder.
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