''Guidelines For Journalists' Safety In Final Stages,'' Says Centre

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday informed parliament that safety of journalists is a priority for the government and it is in the final stages to prepare guidelines for journalists' safety.

"The central government is in the process of finalising a standard operating procedure in this regard, in consultation with various agencies/stakeholders," Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha.

According to the Minister, the government attaches the highest importance to the safety and security of all residents, including journalists and mediapersons.

"Regular advisories on this issue are also circulated by the government," the Minister stated in a written reply.

"The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued advisories to states and Union Territories from time to time to maintain law and order and ensure that any person who takes law into their own hands is punished promptly," he said, adding that an advisory specifically on the safety of journalists was issued to the states and the Union Territories on October 20, 2017, requesting them to strictly enforce the law to ensure safety and security of mediapersons.

The development comes after three assailants, who posed as journalists, shot dead gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in police custody and in full glare of TV cameras in Uttar Pradesh in April this year.