CNN correspondent, crew detained and escorted from Los Angeles protest zone
Los Angeles(AP): Police detained a CNN correspondent and crew reporting on protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles, calling into question whether law enforcement has been targeting journalists trying to cover the demonstrations after two other journalists were hit by rubber bullets.
Video of the CNN crew's encounter broadcast by the network on Monday shows correspondent Jason Carroll and a colleague speaking to a Los Angeles police officer who explains that they must leave. The officer said they were not being arrested, given that they are members of the press, but that officers must remove them from the scene. He warned they would be arrested if they returned.
The reporters are seen putting their hands behind their backs before officers escort them away.
Carroll explained later that he was asked to put his hands behind his back. He said officers didn't put zip ties on him, but did grab both his hands as they escorted him from the area. Police asked for his name and other basic information. When he asked if he was being arrested, they said he was not, but he was being detained.
Members of the press take some risks and this was low on that scale of risks, Carroll said.
“But it is something that I wasn't expecting, simply because we've been out here all day,” he said.
The National Press Club called on Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna to stop targeting, detaining, or obstructing journalists, and to guarantee that journalists can safely report on the demonstrations. It also called on them to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.
“Police cannot pick and choose when the First Amendment applies. Journalists in Los Angeles were not caught in the crossfire — they were targeted,” National Press Club President Mike Balsamo said in a statement. Balsamo is law enforcement news editor for The Associated Press.
On Sunday, Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi was shot in the leg by a rubber bullet while reporting live, with a microphone in her hand, from protests in downtown Los Angeles. The shooting occurred after a tense afternoon in which the 9News correspondent and her crew were caught between riot police and protesters.
Video of the event shows an officer behind Tomasi suddenly raising a firearm and firing a nonlethal round at close range. Tomasi cries out in pain and clutches her lower leg as she and her cameraman quickly move away from the police line.
Speaking later to 9News, Tomasi confirmed she was safe and unharmed.
“I'm OK, my cameraman Jimmy and I are both safe. This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents,” she said.
Meanwhile, a British photographer remained hospitalised Monday after undergoing surgery for a similar strike to the thigh Saturday in Paramount, a city south of Los Angeles.
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After water contamination tragedy, MP CM orders safe supply for all
Bhopal (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that ensuring the supply of safe drinking water to every citizen was the responsibility of urban local bodies and directed officials to prevent the supply of contaminated water under all circumstances.
Yadav's directive came after seven persons died in Indore's Bhagirathpura area recently following a diarrhoea outbreak triggered by the consumption of contaminated water.
Yadav is also the guardian minister of Indore, ranked as the country's cleanest city.
The Opposition Congress, which has sought the resignation of MP Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya in whose constituency the tragedy took place, is scheduled to hold a massive protest over the water contamination deaths in Indore on Sunday.
Addressing a high-level meeting at the airport here after returning from a visit to Sagar district, CM Yadav on Saturday launched a state-wide 'Swachh Jal Abhiyan' (Clean Water Campaign) aimed at ensuring safe drinking water in both rural and urban areas, a government statement said.
He said the quality of drinking water must be tested regularly and alternative arrangements should be made immediately if contamination is detected.
"This is a big challenge, but it must be addressed with seriousness so that the state can set an example for the country," Yadav added.
The chief minister said the government was committed to better management to provide pure drinking water to all and called upon public representatives and officials to discharge their responsibilities efficiently.
The Clean Water Campaign will be conducted in two phases - the first from January 10 to February 28 and the second from March 1 to March 31.
As part of the initiative, 'Jal Sunwai' (water grievance hearings) will also be organised to address drinking water-related issues of citizens, the CM said, asking officials to take these hearings seriously.
Yadav directed that all pipeline leakages be repaired promptly to ensure safe drinking water from a public health perspective and stressed that clean water should reach every household.
He appreciated the use of a mobile application by the urban administration department for monitoring the initiative.
Warning of strict action, the chief minister said any laxity in the supply of clean drinking water would not be tolerated.
The campaign, launched through video conferencing, focuses on water security, its conservation and grievance redressal. It includes cleaning of all water purification units and drinking water storage tanks, with monitoring through a GIS-based mapping application.
Under the initiative, water and sewage pipelines will be mapped on GIS platforms, interconnection points will be identified, and leakages will be checked, including through robotic inspection. Regular testing of drinking water sources and monitoring of sewage treatment plants will also be undertaken.
The government has also made special arrangements to register drinking water-related complaints on the helpline number 181. Applications related to drinking water problems will be resolved within a stipulated time frame and applicants will be informed accordingly.
Vijayvargiya, mayors, district panchayat presidents, divisional commissioners, collectors, municipal commissioners, CEOs of district panchayats and public representatives from urban and rural areas participated in the meeting via video conferencing.
Additional Chief Secretary for Urban Development and Housing, Sanjay Dubey, made a presentation on water security, conservation and grievance redressal, stating that continuous public awareness activities would be conducted through various media.
He said people would also be able to get water quality tested at nominal charges, and the initiative would be linked with the Swachh Bharat Mission, with support from health and women and child development departments.
