Guwahati: The international organisation for media safety and rights, Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), expresses shock at the murder of journalist Shashikant Warishe in Maharashtra and calls for an impartial investigation to find the guilty party so they can be brought to justice. 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 courageous journalist passed away from her wounds on February 7.
The dedicated writer wrote a number of reports on the opposition to a petroleum refinery by the locals in the Barsu locality. On that fatal day, Warishe was riding his two-wheeler when he was struck and dragged for a while by a speeding SUV. The four-wheeler was apparently being driven by Pandarinath Ambekar, a local land mafia trader who Warishe referred to as a criminal in his media claims. Ambekar was swiftly detained by Maharashtra police after a murder complaint was filed against 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).
Four journalists were assassinated in India last year: Rohit Kumar Biswal, Sudhir Saini, Juned Khan Pathan, and Subhash Kumar Mahato, according to PEC South Asia head Nava Thakuria. As a result of several incidences, Pakistan’s neighbour lost journalists Sadaf Naeem, Arshad Sharif, Muhammad Younis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasnain Shah, Murtaza Shar, and Athar Mateen. Similar to how journalists Hashibur Rahaman Rubel, Mohiuddin Sarker Nayeem, and Abdul Bari were killed by attackers in Bangladesh, Aye Kyaw and Pu Tui Dim were killed by military atrocities in Myanmar in 2022.