The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) on Monday took out a march to the Secretariat in protest against the criminal cases charged against the working journalists in the State.
Scores of journalists participated in the march that began from the Martyrs’ Square at Palayam raising various demands.
The demands include withdrawal of false cases hoisted against the scribes, reinstating entry of media personnel to the Secretariat, restoration of permission for print visual media to shoot the Question Hour in the Assembly, implementation of an increase of ₹1,000 announced in the pension scheme for the media personnel, restoration of the pension section of media personnel, and inclusion of contract workers and new video editors in the pension scheme of the government.
The undeclared censorship imposed by the State government was a blot on democracy, said former Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala who inaugurated the march. The State government should urgently restore the press freedom granted for the fourth estate by the Constitution, he said. KUWJ State president M.V. Vineetha presided over the function.
