Katju advises caution to media in reporting terror cases

Press Council chairperson Markandey Katju today appealed to the media to exercise restraint when reporting cases of terrorist attacks and bomb blasts and avoid anything which may promote communal hatred.

Katju issued the appeal after National Commission for Minorities (NCM) chairman Wajahat Habibullah wrote to him objecting to the speculation by media in the wake of the Hyderabad twin blasts case.

"It is indeed unfortunate that in recent years an impression has been sought to be created by certain communal elements that all Muslims are terrorists, and Muslims are often discriminated in our country in getting jobs, bank loans, houses on rent etc as mentioned in the Sachar Committee Report," Katju said in a statement released here.

"I, therefore appeal to the people of India, and particularly to the media, to avoid doing anything which may fan or promote communal hatred and animosity, and exercise restraint in reporting cases of bomb blasts and other terrorist activities," he said.

Katju said while he believed persons who have committed such heinous crimes should correctly be identified and given harsh punishment, it did not always happen and innocent people were arrested.

The former Supreme Court judge said finding out the real culprits required scientific investigation, the skills for which the police lacked.

Katju said in western countries the police reach the scene of the crime and look for finger prints, ashes, blood stains, fibres, etc and use the data to find out the antecedents of suspects.

"However, in our country most police personnel neither have training in scientific investigation nor the equipment for this purpose, and yet they have to solve the crime, otherwise they may be suspended," Katju said.

"Since an impression has been created in some quarters that most Muslims are terrorists, the police often arrest some Muslims merely on suspicions," he said.

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