Guwahati: As casualties among media persons to Covid-19 complications
continue to grow in India, Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) appeals to
every scribe to be cautious and careful in safeguarding themselves
along with their families while reporting from the ground. The forum
also urges the Union government in New Delhi to announce a
comprehensive insurance policy for the media corona warriors.
Lately, a young television journalist from Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)
succumbed to novel corona virus infections. Neelanshu Shukla (30), who
was associated with AajTak, tested positive for Covid-19 on 20 August
and died on 31 August 2020 in the hospital. Shukla, a bachelor, also
worked for NDTV and Republic TV as a Lucknow correspondent.
Earlier, Maharashtra’s veteran journalist Ashok Churi, who edited
Marathi weekly PalgharTimes, died at a Palghar based hospital, who
later tested positive for Covid-19. Similarly, a young photo
journalist from Punjab (Jai Deep), who worked for a Patiala based
newspaper, died of corona related ailments.
Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) based television reporter Madhusudan Reddy
and video journalist M Parthasarathy also succumbed to corona
complications. Tamil Nadu television reporter Ramanathan and Orissa
journalists namely Simanchal Panda, K Ch Ratnam & Priyadarshi Patnaik
also lost their battles against the virus.
New Delhi based scribe Tarun Sisodia killed himself undergoing
treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The
printer-publisher of AsomiyaKhabar (Rantu Das) died of heart-failure
at a Guwahati hospital, who later tested positive for Covid-19.
Chennai based news videographer E Velmurugan, Chandigarh based news
presenter Davinder Pal Singh, Hyderabad based television scribe Manoj
Kumar, Agra based print journalist Pankaj Kulashrestha and Kolkata
based photojournalist Ronny Roy earlier died of Covid-19.
“Till date, over one hundred Assam based media persons turned positive
for the virus infection,” said a statement issued by JFA president
Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria adding that the worrisome
development has not been reported by the concerned news papers, news
channels and digital platforms properly except a few infected media
persons made personal revelations in the social media.
“Need not to remind that it is the duty and responsibility for
newspapers, news channels, digital outlets to report correctly about
the corona warriors and also the victims within the media fraternity,”
asserted the statement adding that they would definitely continue
playing an important role along with the practicing doctors, nurses,
sanitation workers and police personnel during the pandemic.
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