Police persons misbehaved with Chandani Jha, reporter to Prime Television and TV Today while reporting on December 1. Jha is a reporter based in Dhanusha, Madhesh Province of Nepal.
Freedom Forum's representative from the province Rajan Singh reported that Jha was misbehave while reporting on the ongoing by-election to choose candidate for ward chairperson in Dhanushadham ward number 1.
As reporter Jha reached the election site, Sub-inspector Ashok Jha barred her entry into the site and asked her to return back saying she couldnot collect the news due to security reasons. Reporter Jha introduced herself as a journalist but in vain.
Thereafter, she started taking bytes of the locals about election. Again, other police officers on duty shouted at her saying she couldnot talk about election.
While the election commission seeks collaboration from all the concerned stakeholders including mediapersons during elections, such behaviour of police persons is worrying.
Freedom Forum condemns the incident as it is a gross violation of press freedom and citizen's right to information. As fair election is the key to democracy, media has every right to report on this process to make citizens' informed. FF strongly urges the security authority to cooperate with the journalists instead, while covering such important event.