Mediapersons performing duties during the Jat agitation at sensitive places in Haryana will be provided body protectors and helmets for safety during any situation of violence. This was announced by Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) K P Singh in Fatehabad on Monday.
The DGP enquired about the well being of police personnel and mediapersons injured in the violence near Dhani Gopal Chowk on Sunday.
Singh also announced that the entire expenditure of treatment of the injured mediapersons would be borne by the district administration and they would also be given financial assistance of Rs.5,000 each. They would be honoured at the state-level Independence Day celebrations on August 15 next.
While interacting with the injured mediapersons at Civil Hospital, Fatehabad, he said that the mediapersons would also be compensated by the district administration for the loss suffered by them due to damage caused to their cameras and mobile phones and also for the cash snatched by the rioters.
Stating that at times both the police and the media have to work in difficult circumstances, the DGP said that he was appreciative of the manner in which the media persons and the police personnel faced the rioters yesterday. Had the police not acted wisely, many precious lives could be lost. He was all praise for those police officers and personnel, especially the women who were injured in this incident and said that they would also be honoured for the courage shown by them.
The DGP said that the rioters who were involved in making a fatal attack on police and mediapersons were being identified. The video footage of the incident is available to the police and the faces of anti-social elements are clearly visible.
He said that police had inputs that the anti-social elements, armed with weapons from some villages of Hisar district, adjacent to Fatehabad border, would reach the ‘dharna’ at Dhani Gopal Chowk and would try to disturb the situation.
On the basis of this input, the police tried to stop them from reaching the spot by putting barricades and told them to visit the ‘dharna’ site without weapons and stones. But they did not listen to it and attacked the police.