Journalist harassed and forced to delete photos
KATHMANDU/August 8: On August 2, police in the Jajarkot district of Karnali Province forced a local journalist to delete photos. Mohan Singh, a journalist with Karnali Awaj, had visited the Jajarkot District Hospital following multiple complaints that doctors and nurses were failing to attend patients promptly.
When Singh arrived at the hospital in the afternoon of August 2, he found only the son of a staff member sitting in the chair. He took a photo of the empty facility, which immediately triggered a hostile reaction. Ganga Regmi, a nurse at the hospital, began verbally abusing and manhandling Singh. According to Singh, she even tried to beat him with sleepers simply because he had taken the photo.
Police in the Jajarkot district of Karnali Province forced a local journalist to delete photos. Mohan Singh, a journalist with Karnali Awaj, had visited the Jajarkot District Hospital following multiple complaints that doctors and nurses were failing to attend patients promptly.
He stated that she later contacted the police station and informed them that he had taken the photo. “Subsequently, I received a call from the police. As soon as I reached there, Regmi had already reached there and started abusing me in front of authority,” he said.
“Police took my phone and deleted the photo to refrain me from publishing the image.” Media Action Nepal’s Karnali Province Coordinator Lalit Budha, who contacted journalist Singh, explained that Singh is feeling extremely worried and unsafe after the incident. Singh informed Budha that the police and hospital appeared to be together and threatened Singh with deleting the photo using foul language.
Budha reported that, despite concerns from the National Human Rights Commission and media rights defenders, police and hospitals have yet to apologize or take appropriate action. Moreover, Singh feels unsafe going for reporting outside.
Media Action Nepal strongly expresses its concern that such an atmosphere is not welcome in any democratic country whose constitution firmly guarantees press freedom. Perpetrators must apologize to Journalist Singh and compensate him appropriately.