Geneva, 9 February 2023: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media
safety and rights body, expresses shock over the killing of journalist
Shashikant Warishe in Maharashtra and demands a fair probe to identify
the culprit for punishing under the law. Warishe (48), who used to
work for Marathi-language daily Mahanagari Times, was mowed down by a
four-wheeler on Monday at Rajapur area following which he was rushed
to a nearby hospital. The brave journalist succumbed to injuries on 7
February.
The committed journalist prepared a series of reports over the
resistance by the local residents of Barsu locality against a
petroleum refinery. On the fateful day, Warishe was riding his
two-wheeler when a speeding SUV hit him and dragged for some distance.
A local land mafia dealer named Pandarinath Ambekar, whom Warishe
described as a criminal in his media reports, was reportedly driving
the four-wheeler. Maharashtra police have registered a murder case
against Ambekar and promptly arrested him.
“Killing of a journalist because of his/her media report is no way
acceptable. In Shashikant Warishe’s case, he faced the brutal incident
within hours of a published newspaper report against the accused.
Maharashtra government must take the case seriously and punish the
guilty,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC (www.pressemblem.ch),
adding that Shashikant becomes the fourth journalist to be killed this
year worldwide after Ashiqul Islam (Bangladesh), Martinez Zogo
(Cameroun) and Michael Finlay (Canada).
PEC south-Asia representative Nava Thakuria reveals that India
witnessed the murder of four journalists (Rohit Kumar Biswal, Sudhir
Saini, Juned Khan Pathan and Subhash Kumar Mahato) last year. Its
neighbour Pakistan lost journalists Sadaf Naeem, Arshad Sharif,
Muhammad Younis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasnain Shah, Murtaza Shar and Athar
Mateen in different incidents. Similarly, Bangladesh witnessed the
killing of journalists Hashibur Rahaman Rubel, Mohiuddin Sarker Nayeem
and Abdul Bari to assailants, whereas Myanmar lost Aye Kyaw and Pu Tui
Dim to military atrocities during 2022.
