Need for a law to protect journalists: PCI member

Indore: S N Sinha, a member of the Press Council of India, Wednesday stressed the need for a law to protect journalists against attacks.

"In the wake of attacks on journalists in the country, the demand for a law to protect journalists has gathered steam," Sinha said at the Indore Press Club.

"A law should be passed to facilitate high-level probes into the attacks on journalists within a fixed timeframe," he said.

Also, cases related to such attacks should be tried by fast-track courts, and if a journalist dies in an attack, the government should provide compensation to the family, Sinha said.

"Such a law is necessary not only for journalists but also for the democracy and the country. Therefore, pressure should be put on the government," he said.

PCI's Journalists' Safety Committee had prepared a report proposing such a law and submitted it to the Union government in 2015, he said.