Maharashtra dithers on law to protect scribes

MUMBAI: While well over 200 journalists have been attacked by anti-social elements and politicians so far, successive chief ministers and current home minister R R Patil have been dithering on bringing in a special law to prevent attack on scribes.

In December 2004, Patil had assured a delegation of journalists that his government would bring in a comprehensive law on the subject. Subsequently, CMs Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan conducted a few rounds of talks with journalists on the proposed legislation but for obvious political reasons abandoned the plan. As for Patil, his reply to a question put to him by journalists this January says it all — he replied, without batting an eyelid, that the subject of the proposed law was under the jurisdiction of the CM, and he was thus unable to comment on it.

When Ashok Chavan was CM, he did initiate steps towards a law but was prevented from moving the proposal by the NCP. "I am in favour of a law, but in the absence of a consensus, it was not possible for me to bring in the legislation. Unless there is unanimity among political parties, it will not be appropriate for me to move the proposal before the cabinet," he had said.

On May 1, journalists across the state staged daylong demonstrations in Karad, home town of CM Prithviraj Chavan, to press for the demand, but there was no response. On May 28, while addressing a state-level convention of scribes at Roha in Raigad district, the CM said he was in favour of such a legislation but failed to act on it.

"After the Roha convention, we felt the CM would convene a special meeting to discuss the proposal, but it appears that he too lacks the political will to bring in the legislation,'' said veteran journalist Jatin Desai, adding that during all the meetings with the CM and home minister, the 16 journalists' organizations in the state submitted comprehensive details of the attacks on scribes, but to no avail.

"The state has actually set up a high-level panel headed by the minister of state for home and comprising the DGP, the Mumbai police commissioner, home secretary and representatives of media organizations to prevent attacks on journalists," said Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh president Prasad Mokashi. "When it was set up, it was expected that it would meet at least once in three months. Our information is that the committee has not met in the last two years. It meets only when there is an attack on a scribe."