KUWJ condemns CPM activists' ‘cut hand’ threat to MediaOne editor as attack on press freedom
Kozhikode: The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has strongly condemned the provocative slogans raised by CPI(M) activists in Vandur, who threatened to chop off the hand of MediaOne Managing Editor C. Dawood. The threat was issued during a protest organised by the party’s Vandur Area Committee, where activists declared that “if he spreads false stories against the party, his hands will be chopped off.”
The KUWJ State Committee criticised the threatening language, stating that such remarks, while claiming to uphold media freedom and civil rights, are unacceptable. “There are democratic means to counter untruths and disagree with editorial stances,” said KUWJ State President K. P. Reji and General Secretary Suresh Edappal. “But physical threats from a party like the CPI(M) must be unequivocally condemned.”
The protest was reportedly triggered by Dawood’s editorial response to communal allegations made by a local CPM leader against MediaOne. In the editorial, Dawood referred to a 1999 Assembly speech by former Vandur MLA N. Kannan, in which he mentioned the “Talibanisation” of Malappuram district, a comment originally directed at the NDF, according to the CPM. The party has since accused Dawood of misrepresenting the speech as targeting Muslims.
The KUWJ also demanded that the party leadership take responsibility for controlling its cadres and called upon the police to act against those who issued the threats. MediaOne’s journalists' cell echoed these concerns, calling the threats a direct attack on press freedom and raising alarm about the safety of channel employees.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
