The Media Unity for Freedom of Press (MUFP ) has strongly condemned the assault on mediapersons on duty at Bangamunda , Rourkela by the police on Tuesday and has asked the Chief Minister for immediate exemplary action against the erring police officials in order to stop ruining freedom of Press in the State.
The MUFP fully supports the mediapersons of Rourkela and all their steps to save the freedom and honour of Press.
Noting with concern that during the last one year assault on Press by the Police and by economic offenders in nexus with the Police has alarmingly increased taking advantage of nonchalant manners of the state administration, the MUFP has urged the Chief Minister to seriously review all the instances of assault on mediapersons and exemplary steps against the miscreants and to address himself to prevention of crime against Press.
The MUFP has also reminded the Chief Minister to institute Judicial Probe into brutal attack on media persons at the Silicon Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar to find out the cause of death of the student, negligence of the police in filing an Unnatural Death Case and sending the body for post mortem, failure for produce the CD in the court even after five days of incident and helping the assaulters. It is sad that he having personally handed over with MUFP memorandum in this matter in the audience he had grated to its representative, and having required a detail report from the Home Secretary on the spot with the assurance that exemplary action in the instant case would promptly be taken by his government, no trace of action against the culprit institute and its operator goons is discernible as yet. This indicating official nexus with the miscreants, the MUFP has urged upon the Chief Minister once again to institute a time bound Judicial Probe by a Retired Judge of Orissa High Court without any further delay.
The MUFP has further urged upon the State administration to take exemplary steps against the P.G. Students of M.K.C.G. Medical College, Berhampur and the district Superintendent of Police without any delay in order to avoid unwanted confrontation between the media and the Government.