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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Three terrorists involved in Pahalgam attack eliminated, Amit Shah announces in Lok Sabha
New Delhi (PTI): Three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack have been eliminated by security forces in a joint operation by the Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police near Srinagar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Participating in the special discussion on Operation Sindoor, Shah said the terrorists were killed under Operation Mahadev on Monday. They have been identified as Suleman alias Faizal, Afghani and Jibran.
"While Suleman was an A-category commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Afghani was also an A-category Lashkar-e-Taiba terroris, Jibran too was a notorious and wanted terrorist. All these three terrorists involved in the killing of our citizens at Baisaran valley in Pahalgam have now been eliminated," he said.
To be sure about the identity of the terrorists, those detained by security forces for helping the terrorists were brought in and confirmed that the three were involved in the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Shah told the House.
"People who used to supply food, provide shelter to the terrorists were detained earlier. Once the bodies of these terrorists were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those who were detained by our agencies," he said.
The arms -- M-9 and AK-47 rifles -- recovered from the terrorists were flown to Chandigarh on Monday night in a special flight for examination at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory.
The empty cartridges found at Pahalgam and those after test firing by the recovered guns were matched by the forensic lab, Shah said. The ballistic report is with him, he added.
"Six forensic experts have confirmed to me on a video call this morning that these are the same bullets used in the Pahalgam attack," he said.
The home minister said security forces had recovered Pakistani voter IDs of two of the killed terrorists as well as chocolates made in Pakistan and the weapons.
After the Pahalgam attack, security forces were instructed not to allow terrorists responsible for the dastardly act to leave the country
Describing the Pahalgam attack as barbaric, Shah said innocent civilians were brutally killed in front of their families after being asked about their religion and were murdered with extreme cruelty.
Expressing heartfelt condolences for those who had lost their lives in Pahalgam and during Pakistani shelling on civilians, the home minister said due to Pakistani firing civilians were martyred and some gurdwaras and temples damaged.
