Goa scribes want police probe into assaults on colleagues

PANAJI - The Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ) plans to meet Chief Minister Digambar Kamat to seek a police probe into recent incidents of assault on journalists, a union representative said Monday.

GUJ president Prakash Kamat told IANS that the police were “not at all serious” about investigating assaults on journalists.

“A GUJ delegation will be meeting Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Home Minister Ravi Naik soon on this issue,” he said.

He alleged that Goa Police recently refused to file a first information report (FIR) after two correspondents working for a local English newspaper Herald were assaulted by owners of trucks ferrying ore.

The correspondents were taking photographs of traffic congestion caused by the trucks in Quepem, a mining town 40 km from here, Sunday evening.

“There have been three incidents before this. In none of the cases has the police follow-up been satisfactory,” Kamat said.