THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Expressing its strong protest against the assault on a photojournalist by a police inspector, the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) demanded action against the erring officer. Nishant Alukkad, a photojournalist with a Malayalam daily, was manhandled by Control Room Inspector Prithviraj when the former was covering the protests by various youth organisations at the north gate of the Secretariat on Tuesday, said KUWJ president K P Reji. The officer wanted to prevent the photojournalist from taking pictures of the police action against the protestors. He held Nishant by his collar and pressed him against the barricade, said Reji.
According to him, the police officer did not relent even after the photographer showed his press identity card. “The officer’s action is not suitable in a democratic society. He should be suspended from servic” said KUWJ general secretary E S Subhash. The union has sent petitions to the chief minister and state police chief demanding action against the officer.