DD Cameraman Achutyanand Sahu Killing: Naxals Issue Statement on Dantewada Attack, Say Had No Intention of Targeting Media
Naxals on Friday issued a statement and said that DD Cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and they had no intention of targeting the media.
New Delhi, November 2: Days after a Doordarshan (DD) cameraman was killed in a Naxalite attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, Naxals on Friday issued a statement saying they had no plans to attack the media. In the statement, the Naxals said DD Cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and they had no intention of targeting the media.
Soon after the statement by Naxals, Dantewada SP Abhishek Pallav asked as to why was the camera looted if they had no plans to target the media. Pallav added saying that multiple bullet wounds and skull fractures were found on the martyred cameraman in no ways indicates it was by mistake. Doordarshan Cameraman, 2 Security Personnel Killed in Naxal Attack Ahead of Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018.
"Why was camera looted? Because it had recorded evidence of what happened in the first few minutes of targeted media ambush. Multiple bullet wounds and skull fractures on the martyred cameraman in no ways indicates it was by mistake", Pallav added. Dantewada Naxal Attack: SP Abhishek Pallav Breaks Down While Talking About Death of DD Cameraman & Policemen, Watch Video.
On October 30, two Chhattisgarh police personnel and a DD cameraman were killed in a Naxal attacked in Aranpur village of the district. Two jawans who were injured in the incident were immediately rushed to a hospital. Soon after the tragic incident, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore announced a compensation of Rs 15 lakh and job to the wife of the cameraman.
About the Attack:
The attack took place at around 11 AM in a forest area near Nilawaya village of Chattisgarh on October 30. The Maoists ambushed a squad of local police which was carrying out patrolling on motorcycles from Sameli camp towards Nilawaya on Tuesday morning.
Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj P informed that a three-member team of Doordarshan was travelling for election-related news coverage at the same time and was caught in the cross-fire. While Sharma, a 35-year-old Lighting Assistant of DD News, and journalist Dhiraj Kumar survived miraculously in the attack, Achyutanand Sahu, a camera person, was not as lucky as his colleagues. In the gunfight that lasted for nearly an hour, Constable Vishnu Netam and Assistant Constable Rakesh Kaushal sustained injuries and were then admitted to a nearby hospital.
Hundreds of journalists took out a candle march on Thursday to condemn the killing of a DD News cameraman in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh. Reports inform that the candle march was taken out from the Press Club of India to the India Gate in the evening.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2018 09:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).