Media personnel who were on the roads to report on implementation of lockdown had a bitter taste of police high-handedness in the city on Saturday and Sunday.
Media is exempted from lockdown restrictions. However, some journalists were allegedly roughed up and abused by the police despite showing their identity cards.
At Chintal Basti under Saifabad police station limits, a young journalist of a popular Telugu daily, who recently tested positive, was stopped and threatened by the police. A native of Shamirpet, he stays alone in the city and went out to take the meal box brought by one of his colleagues. “Despite showing my ID card and telling them that I cover crime, they stopped and started abusing me. An officer also threatened to seize my scooter and told me that even media personnel are not allowed to move out during lockdown restricted hours,” he said.
Another journalist of a Telugu newspaper was stopped and allegedly abused at Ramanthapur by Uppal police. While returning home on his bike, he felt humiliated and fell off the two-wheeler. He suffered severe injuries and his leg was fractured.
On Saturday, a journalist of a news channel was beaten up by the police at Erragadda. The issue was brought to the notice of Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar. During a video conference with his officers, Mr. Kumar directed them not to ‘manhandle’ journalists.
