Prasar Bharti Chairman A Surya Prakash says, journalists are living on the edge

While speaking at a condolence meeting for the deceased DD News cameraman Achyutanand Sahu after Naxals attacked and killed him in in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, Chairman of Prasar Bharti, A Surya Prakash reminded that journalists are living on the edge. “I know of the courage and bravery of our colleagues in DD news when they are out on various assignments. As a person who has been on the field, we journalists are living on the edge. Whether it was Punjab in the 1980s and later Kashmir or going out on our own assignments, it is always a matter of touch and go. Anything can happen. It requires a great amount of guts and professionalism to be on the spot and go and do that thing,” Surya Prakash said while saluting ”bravery and commitment” of Sahu.

“Not only conflict zones, I have seen tsunamis, earthquakes. In Gujarat, many years ago, it was very risky to go and cover stories but reporters go out and want to get the best story out. The courage and professional commitment of our colleagues in Doordarshan are as good as you can get anywhere in the world,” the chairman said.

Recalling the trauma the crew faced, DD staffer Mormukut Sharma (35) said that it was a narrow escape for others too. “I was dehydrated during the attack. I had managed to dig a hole with my hands so that I could hide there. If I raised my head, bullets would come flying and while lying there, I was being bitten by red ants,” Sharma recollected.

Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore earlier said that the employees of government-run Doordarshan are serving the country like Army jawans. He stated this while speaking at the condolence meeting of the DD News cameraman Achyutanand Sahu after Naxals attacked and killed him in an attack in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday. The meeting was organised by Prasar Bharti in the capital.

“There are many media houses, but Doordarshan and DD News are national broadcasters. Just like Army jawans are involved in serving the country, we are also involved in serving the nation. We have to cover a lot of difficult domains through our camera or our pen. You have the responsibility of disseminating news to the entire country,” The Athens Olympics silver medallist said.

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