(January 07, 2011) An international media watchdog group says journalists working
in India's conflict zones face intimidation and false arrest, without the same protections
as those in major cities. Reporters Without Borders asked India on Friday to explain
last week's arrest of two journalists in different states who were accused of meeting
communist rebels known as Maoists, saying one had been at a literary conference and
the other was entrapped by police. It also condemned charges of intimidating witnesses
levelled against a reporter who revealed police abuse in southern Karnataka state.
The Paris-based group urged India to guarantee reporters protection from intimidation
and abuse, saying a police-backed militia in central Chhatisgargh is sending threatening
letters to rights activists and reporters, including three who were told last month
to leave or face a “dog's death.”