THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has called upon the Chief Minister to initiate stringent action against the leaking of e-mails of journalists allegedly on behalf of the police. KUWJ state president K C Rajagopal, district president Sibi Kattampally and district secretary Suresh Vellimangalam told a news conference here on Tuesday that it was high time to check the tendency to encroach upon the privacy of people.“If journalists’ e-mails and phones are tapped at the behest of police officials it would have serious repercussions”.They said that while posting police officers in high tech/ cyber cells, it should be ensured that they should have professional integrity. The tendency to tap the phones of journalists was increasing ever since the new government had assumed office. Phones of over 10 journalists were tapped in Kollam ever since the CBI had launched an investigation into the V B Unnithan attempt to murder case.There were reports that some of the police officers, who were under the cloud of suspicion in the case, were behind the attempt.They asked the Chief Minister to clarify who assigned the police officials to tap the phones. The union also expressed concern over the increasing cases of attack on journalists, especially women journalists, by police. Beleena, reporter of Mathrubhoomi, Palakkad was threatened to reveal the source of her reports on the Sampath murder case.A police team led by the DySP went to the Mathrubhoomi bureau in Palakkad several times and threatened Beleena. No action was taken against the police officials.In Kasargod , Indiavision reporter Fousia Musthafa was manhandled by a group of policemen openly. No action was taken against the policemen so far. “Whenever a complaint is lodged with the Chief Minister, he issues order seeking a report. But no further action was taken against the guilty so far,” they said.State Fascism, Says VSMeanwhile ,Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan has termed the act of hacking the e-mails of people’s representatives and other politicians from the Muslim community and journalists as state’s fascism. In a statement issued here, he said it was the Home Department which issued an order in this regard. “It is an encroachment upon the privacy of the people and denial of personal freedom”. He also asked the Chief Minister to clarify whether the government had got any information that Muslim League leader and ex-MP Abdul Vahab had any terror links and was it the basis for hacking his e-mail. He also wanted the Muslim League, a coalition partner in the UDF Government, to make clear their stand on the incident.
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