National Press Day is observed on November 16 every year in India. This day is dedicated to acknowledge and honour the Press Council of India, a statutory and quasi-judicial establishment that is responsible for keeping an eye on the quality of reportage provided by the Indian Press community. It is symbolic of freedom of press in the country and acts as a “moral” watchdog to ensure that journalistic objectivity is not compromised or harmed by external factors.
Why is National Press Day celebrated on November 16?
The First Press Commission 1956 envisioned a committee to protect the ethics of journalism and freedom of Press in India. The Commission led to the forming of a ‘Press Council’ nearly 10 years later, which started monitoring media groups from November 16, 1966.
The Press Council of India started functioning on November 16, 1966. Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad is the Chairman of the Press Council of India. He has been appointed for a second term. The predecessor was Justice Markandey Katju (2011 – 2014).
On the occasion of National Press Day, here is the list of journalists who were jailed and killed in India:
Arnab Goswami, Mumbai
Republic TV’s editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami was arrested on November 4, 2020. Goswami was arrested for his alleged role in the death of Anvay Naik, who committed suicide in 2018. Yet his imprisonment stirred a lot of protests about “press freedom” and “political vendetta”.
Gauri Lankesh, Bengaluru
Lankesh, the editor and publisher of a Bangalore weekly, the Gauri Lankesh Patrike, was an outspoken left-wing journalist. Lankesh was returning to her home from work on September 5, 2017, a man approached her in the driveway. He fired a pistol as she ran toward her house, about 10 feet away. Autopsy reports suggested she had been shot twice in the chest and once in the back. A fourth shot had missed or misfired.
Abhilash Padachery, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
On 1 May 2020, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) detained three youths, including a journalist, on the charges of having links with the Maoists in Kerala. Among the three youths included Kozhikode native Abhilash Padachery, an online journalist.
Pawan Chaudhary, Bihar
A 30-year-old web journalist, Pawan Choudhary was arrested on April 6, 2020, in Munger in Bihar on the charges of spreading misinformation about the death of a COVID-19 patient.
Shubham Mani Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh
On June 19, 2020, Journalist Shubham Mani Tripathi was killed in Uttar Pradesh as two assailants shot him for reporting on illegal sand mining.
Damodharan, Tamil Nadu
On the night of 7 April 2020, a TV journalist named Damodharan who shot visuals of a pharmacy staff handing out medicines to patients without a doctor’s consultation at the Minjur Primary Health Centre in Minjur in Tamil Nadu was branded a ‘fake journalist’ and arrested by the police.
