Rohit Biswal, a scribe from Odisha was killed in a landmine blast
The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global body for media safety and rights, mourned the demise of Rohit Kumar Biswal, promising scribe from Odisha, who died in a landmine blast planted by left-wing rebels in Kalahandi locality of Odisha province.
A native of Mohangiri village under the Madanpur Rampur area, 40-year-old Rohit Kumar Biswal was killed on the spot after stepping on the mine on February 5.
Biswal was employed by Dharitri, an Oriya daily, and was out to report on the posters of ultra-left extremists, belonging to outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist, which were put on trees near the Karlakhunta bridge. The posters asked people to boycott the upcoming Panchayat elections scheduled for different phases from February 16 to 24.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over Biswal’s death and announced an ex-gratia of ₹1.3 million compensation to the bereaved family. Asserting that there was no place for violence in democracy, Patnaik assured that the government would take necessary actions against the perpetrators under the law.
PEC Secretary General, Blaise Lempen said, “We express profound grief over the demise of Rohit Kumar Biswal, who died in the line of duty as a reporter. After 12 journo-casualties in January, where Mexico was at the top with the murder of four scribes, followed by Pakistan, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Honduras and Philippines, India has added one more in the beginning of this year’s second month”.
Last year, 79 media employees were killed by assailants in 29 countries, in which Afghanistan ranked as the most dangerous country for journalists with 12 casualties, followed by Mexico, with 10 deaths, Pakistan with 7, India with 6, the Philippines, Yemen with 4 each, Democratic Republic of Congo with 3, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Burkina-Faso, Turkey with 2 each, etc.
Notably, India earlier lost journalist and RTI activist Buddhinath Avinash Jha from Bihar on November 12, informed, PEC’s India representative, Nava Thakuria, adding that the populous country earlier lost media workers namely Ashu Yadav, Sulabh Srivastava, Ch. Keshav, Manish Kumar Singh and Raman Kashyap to assailants in 2021. Moreover, Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was killed in Afghanistan by Taliban forces last year.
