Date: Wed, Apr 8, 2020 at 1:57 PM
Subject: Varanasi DM Notice to Editors of Jansandesh Times against reportingon starvation in Musahar Community in Lockdown
To: <chairmanbpp-pci@nic.in>
Cc: <pressclubofindia1@gmail.com>, <info@pressclubofindia.org>, vijay vineet <vijayvineet.vns@gmail.com>, Vijay Vineet <vijayvineet04@gmail.com>, Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi <lenin@pvchr.asia>
To,
The Chairman,
Press Council of India,
New Delhi.
Subject: Varanasi DM Notice to Editors of Jansandesh Times against reporting on starvation in Musahar Community in Lockdown
Respected Sir,
This is to inform you about a recent story published in a Hindi Daily of Uttar Pradesh Jansandesh Times on starvation conditions among a marginalized group Musahar in Varanasi, U.P. The story was written by Mr. Vijay Vineet, News Editor and Editorial head of Jansandesh Times in Varanasi. The story narrated a sorry state of children of Musahar community in Koiripur Village of Varanasi, who were starved during initial four days of lockdown and were forced to eat a wild grass named Ankari.
Link to this story is as follows: https://jansandeshtimes.page/article/banaaras-ke-koireepur-mein-ghaas-kha-rahe-musahar/FLkR6Z.html
Newspaper clipping in Annexure (a).
As soon as the story went live, District Magistrate of Varanasi served a notice to the Chief Editor of Jansandesh Times Shri Subhash Rai and Mr. Vijay Vineet on March 26, 2020. The notice mentioned here can be read in Annexure (b).
The notice asked newspaper to apologise and publish a denial within 24 hours failing which they would be booked under appropriate sections. The said notice observed that the grass Ankari which was attributed to Musahar children in the news story is not a grass, rather an edible "lentil".
To prove this point, DM of Varanasi Shri Kaushal Raj Sharma personally uploaded a picture of him with his small son and released it to media. Picture could be seen in Annexure (c).
In this picture he is seen with his son eating a shrub and claiming it to be the same grass that as mentioned in the story. This not only was a joke on the starving Musahar children but also a grave danger to the DM's son, as Ankari is not fit for human consumption according to various scientists.
The newspaper published a detail reaction and comments of prominent scientists and agriculturists who claimed that Ankari is a wild grass which could seriously harm the human body. Despite, the DM continued his allegations on media and intimidated journalists of Jansandesh Times on record. Link of the video clip of DM's byte : https://youtu.be/HvRop3IoJoM
A frontline Human Rights Defender Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi of Peoples Vigilance Committee on Human Rights has forwarded a complaint of harassment of Journalists to NHRC on March 27, 2020. The copy is attached in Annexure (d).
This is to request you to take cognizance of this matter at the earliest and save Mr. Vijay Vineet, and Dr. Subhash Rai of Jansandesh Times from impending legal action.
This is a matter as grave as starvation, for which these scribes are worth of a real applause who have saved many lives by reporting the conditions of a marginalized community in time that resulted in immediate relief work among them.
The District Magistrate of Varanasi has responded positively towards Musahar community by providing them food etc. which is commendable. But at the same time he has served an unnecessary and intimidating notice to the journalists who highlighted the plight of poor and starving people. This is "shoot the messenger" policy of district authority that needs to be checked and curbed outright.
With Kindest regards,
Vijay Vineet
News Editor and Editorial head
Jansandesh Times
C28/121,1st Floor, Teliabagh
Varanasi, India
Mobile:+91- 7068509999
Annexures:
a) Story Clipping
b) Administration Notice to Journalists
c) Picture of Varanasi DM with his son
d) NHRC complaint copy by Dr. Lenin
CC. President, Press Club of India, 1 ,Raisina Road, New Delhi-110001
