By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, expressed concern over the murder of Indian scribe V. Jaganmohan Reddy, who was hacked to death on Tuesday as the Telugu scribe went for a morning walk at Venkatagiri Kotain area under Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
Local media reported that Jaganmohan (40) was attacked by a group of assailants with lethal weapons and died on the spot. The ABN Andhra Jyothy journalist’s body was later sent to Palamaneru Government Hospital for an autopsy.
Various journalists’ bodies organised protests at the Tirupati Press Club, where the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) said Jaganmohan was attacked days after reporting on sandalwood smugglers in the area. The organisation also called for a strict policy to safeguard working journalists and press freedom.
“PEC condemns the murder of the Telugu daily journalist on April 28 and urges the state government to thoroughly investigate the motive behind the killing,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC, adding that the authorities must apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice. He also stated that Jaganmohan Reddy was the first media victim in India this year 26th worldwide.
PEC’s South and Southeast Asia representative Nava Thakuria said Chittoor, where the incident took place, is the home district of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
The journalist is survived by his wife and two children.
Last year, six journalists were killed in India, including Mukesh Chandrakar, Raghavendra Vajpayee, Sahadev Dey, Dharmendra Singh Chauhan, Naresh Kumar and Rajeev Pratap Singh.