Bengal Guv Bose condemns attack on journalist in Murshidabad

Kolkata, Jan 16 (PTI) West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Friday strongly condemned the alleged attack on a journalist by a mob at Beldanga in Murshidabad district, terming it a "ghastly" incident and calling for the strongest possible denunciation.

"The attack on a journalist at Beldanga needs to be condemned in the strongest terms," Bose told PTI here.

Stressing the role of the press, he added, "The media is the fourth pillar of the Constitution and the guardian of democracy." The governor alleged that the incident exposed serious lapses on the part of the police.

"In Murshidabad, we saw the bizarre spectacle of police inaction. The police failed the people, failed democracy, failed the rule of law and failed their government," he alleged.

The attack on the journalist occurred amid unrest in the district, where locals on Friday blocked National Highway 12 and burnt tyres to protest alleged attacks on migrant workers from Murshidabad in other states, police said, disrupting vehicular movement for several hours.

The protest at Beldanga reportedly erupted after news spread about the death of a Murshidabad native who had migrated to Jharkhand for work.

Referring to the wider law and order situation, Bose said, "What we saw on the streets of Murshidabad of late is a reflection of the growing 'gundaraj' in many parts of Bengal. This cannot be allowed to continue." He asserted that citizens have the right to seek protection from the government.

"People have the right to demand protection for their life and property and, more importantly, their human dignity," Bose said. PTI SCH MNB