Sabarimala: Mob attacks journalists on job, media body condemns assault

Police lathicharged protesters, who were opposed to the entry of women in the 10-50 age group to Sabarimala temple, after they turned violent and attacked journalists covering the stand-off on Wednesday, October 17.

At least four women reporters working for The NewsMinute, Republic TV, CNN-News 18 and India Today, were injured when the protesters turned their ire on the media contingent. Even male reporters were injured in the melee.

Saritha S Balan from The News Minute was kicked on the spine, Republic TV's Pooja Prasanna was beaten with sticks, NDTV reporter Sneha Mary Koshy and cameraperson SP Babu were heckled and asked to leave, their camera was snatched. Journalists from CNN-News 18 and Aaj Tak were also targeted.

At Nilakkal, activists belonging to the BJP, Congress, and Hindu groups are protesting the Supreme Court verdict allowing women aged 10-50 to pray at the Sabarimala temple.

The demonstrators were forcibly turning back stray women visiting the shrine despite police assurances that no one will be prevented from taking part in the pilgrimage.

Police tried to calm the protesters but they pelted stones on them, prompting the lathi-charge. This further enraged the protesters, who smashed the window panes of a police vehicle which was carrying away the injured female journalists.

In the morning, two women, who were among the first to begin the trek to the hilltop temple, were stopped by protesters on their way. One of the women, who is from Andhra Pradesh, managed to walk only a few hundred metres from the Pamba base camp, 4.6 km from the hilltop temple.

‘Stop attacks on journalists doing their job at Sabarimala’

The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), vehemently denounces the attacks on journalists, including several women journalists, at Nilakkal/Sabarimala. Saritha S Balan of The Newsminute, Pooja Prasanna of Republic, Radhika Ramaswamy of CNN-News 18 and Maushumi Singh of India Today were attacked on Wednesday, October 17, while attempting to cover the situation at the entry point to the Sabarimala hill temple, scheduled to open for monthly rituals this evening. On Tuesday, October, 16, several journalism students were stopped by protesters, mainly female, who were stopping and screening all vehicles bound for Pampa. It is up to the government to see that more names are not added to the list and that mob frenzy is not allowed to interfere with freedom of expression, the public's right to information and the media's responsibility to report on events and issues of public concern.

The opening of the temple on Wednesday, October 17, marks the first time after the Supreme Court handed down its verdict allowing women of all ages to pray at the hill temple.  Until then girls and women between 10 and 50 years of age were not permitted to pray at the hill temple.  Hundreds of protesters opposing the verdict have been camping at Nilakkal over the past few days. On Tuesday, October 16, they began stopping and checking vehicles, including state-run buses, and forcibly turning back female passengers in the hitherto forbidden age group. Today they turned violent, attacking journalists, including women, who were there to do their jobs.

We demand that the Chief Minister and government of Kerala take immediate action against the agitators who let violent assailants loose on journalists, obstructing them from doing their duty. It is incumbent on the government to create a secure environment for journalists to report from Pampa and nearby areas on an issue that is of interest and concern to the public. The government must immediately ensure the safety of journalists and assure the media that the lives of reporters are not in danger.

The NWMI  condemn the attacks and urges support from civil society in Kerala to make sure that the media is able to cover this controversial issue without fear and that journalists are not harmed in the process of doing their jobs.