Ensure media is not crushed in West Bengal, says Anurag Thakur to CM days after journalist’s arrest

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday took serious exception to the arrest of a TV journalist in West Bengal and appealed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure the media is not crushed in the state.

Addressing a press conference here, Thakur called the journalist’s arrest unfortunate and an insult to the fourth pillar of democracy, and urged the chief minister to ensure such incidents do not happen in future as they also leave an adverse impact on India’s global ranking.

“On the one hand, women are not feeling safe in West Bengal, and on the other, media too feel insecure... In Sandeshkhali, the media was curbed, (a journalist) arrested. It is condemnable. It should not have happened,” Thakur said.

He said it is Mamata Banerjee government’s responsibility and that of every state government to keep freedom of press intact because law and order is their responsibility.

“This is not right for the fourth pillar of democracy, it is an insult to the fourth pillar. This is a curb on media rights...this absolutely should not happen. It is my request to Mamata Banerjee that such things should not happen again,” Thakur told reporters.

“Freedom of press is the right of the media and it should not be crushed. This is my appeal to Mamata Banerjee,” he said, adding, “Such kinds of incidents spoil India’s ranking.”

Santu Pan, a journalist with Republic Bangla, was arrested from the restive Sandeshkhali late on Monday evening.

Thakur hit out at Banerjee and said the Sandeshkhali incidents have sent out a “message” across every nook and corner of the country that women are subjected to atrocities under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s rule. Such incidents have happened in West Bengal in the past as well, he said and asked Banerjee to ensure that “in future, there will be no atrocity on women and no curb on media in the state”.

He said the Modi government has been making efforts to ensure “ease of business” for the media but all such efforts will turn out to be of no benefit if atrocities are committed on journalists in any of the states.