MP to move private resolution in RS over attacks on journalists

DHNS
February 7, 2018

New Delhi, Feb 7: Concerned over the attacks on journalists and police failing to catch culprits, a Trinamool Congress MP will move a private resolution in Rajya Sabha on Friday seeking a separate section in Indian Penal Code dealing with offences against media persons.

Referring to the murder of Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru last September, journalist-turned MP Vivek Gupta said in his private member resolution that cases of work-related threats and violence against journalists are increasing. He also demanded a CBI probe into the murder of Lankesh, who was an outspoken critic of Hindutva forces.

Gupta said there is no umbrella scheme for the protection of security of journalists and media community while seeking a nationwide survey to get an actual estimate of number of journalists facing work-related threats to formulate a protection plan and welfare for them. Another suggestion from the MP was setting up of a toll-free number so that journalists can contact police in case of emergency.

Quoting a report of Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the resolution said, "not a single case of journalist's murder was solved in India over the past decade and 96% of cases of attack on media personnel remained unresolved since 1992.

Noting that the country ranks 136 out of 192 countries in 2017 on World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders, the resolution said, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) database records only those cases of attacks on media persons where there is 'grievous hurt of varying degrees' but does not include murder of journalists resulting in under-reporting of cases. The number of journalists facing work related threats is "grossly under estimated" due to less reporting of such cases, it said.

The official statistics itself suggest 142 attacks against journalists for grievous hurt between 2014 and 2015. However, only 73 people were arrested in these cases.

"There is a disparity across the states between the registered cases of attack on the media personnel and the number of persons arrested for these attacks. For instance, Uttar Pradesh registered highest number of such cases (64), but only 4 persons were arrested....whereas in 26 cases of attack on journalists which were registered in Madhya Pradesh, 42 persons were arrested. The conviction rate of the persons arrested for crimes against journalists is even lower than the arrests," the resolution said.

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News Network
February 12,2020

Mangaluru, Feb 12: More than 7,000 people at Mangalore International Airport (MIA) and over 1,000 at the New Mangalore Port (NMP) have undergone thermal screening for the novel coronavirus in the past few days, a taluk health official said on Wednesday.

A few more ships are scheduled to arrive at the port and all precautionary measures to check the ship’s passengers and crew are ready, he said.

Soon after a positive case of deadly pathogen surfaced in Kerala, the district health officials here actively started monitoring all entry points in the bordering district. 

Apart from Mangaluru, there is bus connectivity to Puttur, Sullia, Bantwal, Dharmasthala and Subrahmanya from Kerala. More than eight to 10 trains arrive at Mangaluru daily from Kerala.

Hence, it is impossible to take up screening of all the vehicles arriving from Kerala, sources in District Health and Family Welfare said.

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News Network
January 30,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 30: A kidnap case in Bengaluru has proved that crime-based series on TV channels can inspire youth to commit crimes. 21-year-old Chirag R Mehta, who kidnapped a schoolboy and got arrested within an hour after demanding Rs 5 lakh ransom, has told police that he thought of abducting the boy after watching Crime Patrol, a popular Hindi crime anthology series created by Subramanian S. lyer for Sony TV. The kidnapped schoolboy was rescued by the police and reunited with his parents. Son of a gift shop owner from Basavanagudi area in Bengaluru, Chirag has reportedly told police that decided to make some quick money to spend on cricket betting and gambling after learning kidnap tricks from the ‘Crime Patrol’. According to police, Chirag reached a private school around 3pm on Tuesday on a Bounce rental bike and zeroed in on a fourth standard student who was walking out of school. He told the boy he was his father's friend and that he required help to search for a relative who had gone missing. The boy believed Chirag and rode pillion on the bike. Chirag then engaged the boy in conversation and learnt about his father's business and got his mobile phone number. He then made a call to the boy's father, demanded Rs 5 lakh and warned him against approaching cops. However, the boy's father alerted Cottonpet police and special teams were formed to crack the case. While Cottonpet inspector Venkatesh TC's squad verified CCTV footage in and around the school, Chamarajpet inspector BG Kumaraswamy's team started tracking the suspect's mobile phone movements. An hour later, the suspect's location was traced to a hotel on the Lavelle Road-St Mark's Road stretch. Police rushed there, rescued the boy and arrested Chirag.

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News Network
March 14,2020

Hyderabad, Mar 14: Telangana Public Health Director Dr Srinivas on Friday said that 34 people, who came in contact with the 76-year-old Karnataka man who died of coronavirus, have been identified in the state.

"So far, 34 people who came in contact with him have been traced and are kept under strict home isolation by the Telangana health authorities. As of now, all the contacts are stable and under active surveillance by the health teams of the Telangana government," Srinivas said.

He added that the rapid response team of the state is further searching for the persons who might have come in contact with the person who died of COVID-19.

"Telangana health authorities were alerted by the Karnataka government after the 76-year-old man's samples tested positive for coronavirus after his death. The man has visited two hospitals in Hyderabad before he died in Karnataka," Srinivas further said.

The Karnataka man, who had died a few days ago, was confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Telangana Health Minister's office said that the lone coronavirus patient from the state has recovered and is going to be discharged from the hospital soon.

The development comes after 82 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths related to the lethal infection have been reported in the country.

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