Muzzling Media: Human rights activists serve notice to Vishal Dev for misbehaving with journalist

Bhubaneswar: Human Rights activists Biswapriya Kanungo and Narendra Mohanty today served a notice to Commissioner-cum-secretary of Sports and Youth Services department, Vishal Dev for misbehaving with OTV journalist in his chamber on November 21.

The notice has been served under section 13 of the Press Council of India Act, sources said.

Condemning such behaviour shown towards the journalist, the rights activists have demanded an unconditional apology from the bureaucrat.

Earlier, a memorandum was also submitted to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seeking his intervention in the matter.

In the memorandum to Patnaik, the rights activists condemned the discriminatory behaviour of Vishal Dev citing that the act was against the spirit of ‘democratic body polity.’

Meanwhile, the Daringbadi block unit of Congress staged demonstration over the misbehaviour of the Sports Secretary Vishal Dev with OTV reporter and demanded that the senior IAS officer should apologise.

Similarly the Keonjhar District Journalists' Association gheraoed the Collector's office and staged demonstration.

In Jeypore, working journalists also protested and submitted a memorandum to the Koraput Sub-collector addressing the Governor.

It is pertinent to mention here that Dev lashed out at OTV journalist when he was seeking comments on the Hockey World Cup. Dev reportedly asked the reporter to go out of his room and stated that it was neither a park nor a public place and he was not invited.

Dev was aggrieved over OTV report which brought out the discrepancies and hassles faced by thousands of fans during online ticket sale of the opening ceremonies of the Hockey World Cup.