Press Club Sounds Alarm: Reporters’ Safety Under Threat

January 19, 2026 Times of Dakshin Dinajpur 

Press Club Warns of Growing Threats to Media Safety

Kamal Kumar Biswas.TOB.Balurghat

The Dakshin Dinajpur District Press Club has issued a strong protest against what it describes as a growing pattern of attacks and intimidation targeting reporters, warning that press freedom in the region is under serious threat.

In a formal letter dated January 19, addressed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee through the District Magistrate(Dakshin Dinajpur ), the Press Club expressed deep concern over recent incidents in which reporters were allegedly assaulted and harassed while performing their professional duties.

According to the letter, reporters have come under attack while covering news related to local affairs, including investigations into illegal activities. In several cases, reporters were allegedly beaten, threatened, and even forcibly confined, with their mobile phones seized to prevent them from documenting events.

“These incidents are not only shocking but deeply disturbing for a democratic society,” the Dakshin Dinajpur District Press Club stated, calling the attacks a direct assault on freedom of the press.

The organization criticized what it termed the “passive role” of local law enforcement, arguing that the failure to take swift and visible action against the perpetrators has emboldened further attacks. The atmosphere of fear, it warned, is making it increasingly difficult for reporters to work independently and safely.

The Press Club has demanded:

1.  Immediate identification and arrest of those involved in attacks on reporters.
2.  Exemplary punishment to deter future assaults.
3.  Enhanced security measures to ensure the safety of reporters in the field.

It also urged the state government to ensure proper medical treatment for injured journalists and to take institutional steps to protect media workers, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.Signed by Dakshin Dinajpur District Press Club President Pradip Paul and Secretary Pabitra Mohanta, the letter underscores a broader anxiety within the journalistic community — that without firm action, intimidation of the press may become normalized.

“In a democracy, reporters are not enemies of the state,” the letter concludes. “They are its eyes and ears. Silencing them weakens the foundations of governance itself.”The appeal places fresh pressure on the administration to reaffirm its commitment to press freedom and to ensure that those who report the news are not forced to do so in fear.