Security to Journalists
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has started collecting data on attack on media persons under grievous hurt since 2014. Data on murder of journalists is not maintained separately. As per available data, a total of 113 cases were registered and 30 persons were arrested under attack on media person (grievous hurt) during 2014. Ministry of Home Affairs has not received the report on Safety of Journalists from the Press Council of India and also has no proposal to set up a special task force to investigate the attack on journalists. The provision of security to an individual is primarily the responsibility of the State Government in whose jurisdiction such individual ordinarily resides. Security is provided strictly on the basis of threat assessment made by the Security Agencies. There is no separate categorization of protectees for journalists/media persons, although individual journalists/media persons are also among those who apply for security cover. Representations from all individuals, including journalists/media person are referred to security agencies for assessment of their threat. Appropriate advisories are issued to the concerned State Governments/Police to provide security as per the threat assessment.
This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary in a written reply to a question by Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Shri Pr. Senthil Nathan, Shri B. Senguttuvan and Shri Kamal Nath in the Lok Sabha today.
