CPJ calls for probe into Indian journalists' murder

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 8 years ago

NEW DELHI - Indian authorities must conduct a thorough investigation into the death of Shantanu Bhowmik, a reporter for the local Bengali-language Dinraat news channel, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

The journalist was beaten to death with sticks Wednesday while covering violent clashes between members of the separatist Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura and the ruling Tripura Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad party in the northeastern Tripura state near the border with Bangladesh, according to media reports, and a journalist who witnessed the event, but was not authorized by his publication to speak on the matter.

The crowd hit Bhowmik on his legs and then his head, according to a report in the English-language The Indian Express newspaper that quoted an unnamed journalist who was also at the scene of the attack. 

According to The Indian Express, Bhowmik was taking pictures with his mobile phone when the crowd attacked him. Swapan Chakraborty, an editor at Dinraat, told CPJ that the last image they received from Bhowmik was sent at 1:15 p.m.

Local police later recovered his body near a stadium, according to media reports. 

“Authorities must thoroughly investigate the motive behind the murder of Shantanu Bhowmik, who was killed while on assignment,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia Program Coordinator in Washington D.C. “Authorities must swiftly bring Bhowmik’s killers to justice, and ensure the future safety of journalists working in India.”

The West Tripura police superintendent Abhishek Saptarishi told CPJ that officials arrested four people in connection with Bhowmik’s death, and charged them with murder and unlawful assembly. “This is a very serious matter, and we are going to give due importance to the case,” Saptarishi said.

At least 41 journalists have been killed in India in relation to their work since 1992, according to CPJ research. – CPJ News Alert

Dive Deeper

PFUJ calls for end to Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists

 November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.

Global impunity for journalist murders worsens as Pakistan sees 60 percent rise in attacks

 November 02, 2025: Impunity for crimes against journalists deepens worldwide as Pakistan reports a 60 percent surge in attacks and weak enforcement of safety laws.

Pakistan Press Foundation documents 137 attacks on journalists in 2025

 November 01, 2025: Pakistan Press Foundation reports 137 attacks on journalists in 2025, highlighting rising threats, legal harassment, and censorship on the International Day to End Impunity.

Anchor Talat Hussain laughs as Marwat makes vulgar comment on air

 November 01, 2025: A viral Samaa TV clip featuring MNA Sher Afzal Marwat’s crude remarks and Talat Hussain’s laughter raises questions about the declining ethics of Pakistani television.

Why was this DawnNews TV journalist targeted in a foiled murder plot?

 October 31, 2025: Police foiled a plot to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi after arresting suspects hired for Rs200,000. Naseer says threats followed his reporting.

CPJ calls on Pakistan to prosecute killers of journalist Imtiaz Mir

 October 31, 2025: CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.

PFUJ urges quashing of fabricated case against journalist Matiullah Jan

 October 30, 2025: The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.

NewsOne TV hit by layoffs and unpaid wages, channel remains on air

 October 30, 2025: NewsOne TV remains on air but faces mass layoffs and delayed salaries, exposing Pakistan’s worsening media crisis and financial instability.