Journalists stage protest over attack at Patiala House court

Top editors of national media and hundreds of journalists on Tuesday hit the streets demanding action against those involved in beating up members of their fraternity in a court complex in police presence and sought Supreme Court’s intervention in protecting freedom of speech.

The journalists, shouting slogans against the Modi government and Delhi Police, marched from Press Club of India to the Supreme Court and submitted a memorandum to its, Registrar, seeking cancellation of licences of lawyers involved in the assault.

The protesters also demanded Police Commissioner B S Bassi’s sacking due to alleged inaction by the security personnel at the Patiala House Courts on Monday when journalists, students and teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University were attacked by people wearing lawyers’ black robes.

A separate delegation of journalists met Home Minister Rajnath Singh demanding his intervention in ensuring “accountability of the Delhi Police who watched silently as the assault happened”.

The memorandum by the journalists was submitted to Supreme Court even as it agreed to hear a petition tomorrow on a plea seeking action against those involved in the violence at Patiala House court complex.

“We demand the intervention of the highest court of the land to take appropriate action against the advocates involved in the assault,” the memorandum said, urging the court to direct the bar council to cancel the licences of the errant advocates. 

No arrest has been made even 24 hours after the assault where Delhi BJP MLA OP Sharma was also seen beating up a Communist Party of India activist.

The journalists also said the CCTV footage of Monday’s incident should be called for and police directed to ensure protection to journalists and other media persons.

On Monday, groups of lawyers had beaten up journalists and JNU students and teachers ahead of the hearing of the sedition case registered against JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in connection with an event at the university last week to protest the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Anti-India slogans were also allegedly raised at the event.