Hyderabad: Mrs.P.Sabitha Indra Reddy, minister for home, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, promised to convene the High power committee to look into attacks and assaults on journalists in third week of August. She gave this Assurance to the delegation
 Of Andhra Pradesh union of working journalists (APUWJ) on 3rd August 2009. The delegation led by Mr.K.Amarnath, Secretary, Indian journalists union and Y.Narender Reddy, General secretary, APUWJ.

The delegation braught to the notice of the minister that  The Reporter and the Cameraman of I News Channel were attacked and an attempt was on their lives by the staff of the Big Bazaar on Sunday, 2nd August 2009, when they went there to cover the raids conducted  by the Labour department officials on the irregularities in the Big Bazaar. The minister who had patient hearing to the delegation instructed police officials to withdraw the cases registered against two I News Reporters. The delegation includes Mr.C.Hariprasad, president, AP Electronic Media Journalists Association, and Chandu Janardhan, Working president, APEMJA.

On receiving news that the Labour officials were conducting raids  on Big Bazar, at Ameerpet  the I News Reporter Sampath Kumar and Cameraman Rajamohan went there to cover the event live for the I News. At that time the Jt. Commissioner Mr. Ajay Kumar was in the I News Studio to participate in the live discussion. The Reporter and the Cameraman were standing on the foot path in front of the Bazaar and reporting from there. Staff members of the Bazaar came from the Exit gate on a car bearing No: AP9 BF 9995 and tried to run the car on the Reporter. The Reporter ducked and otherwise, he would have been run over by the car. This was captured live on the channel.  Four members of the staff alighted from the car and snatched away the ear phones and mike and assaulted him. The scuffle was captured on the Camera.

On hearing the news, some colleagues from the I News came to the Bazaar and went into the premises to speak to the managers there. The policemen were also present there. They did not give satisfactory reply. The electronic media personnel from various channels assembled there and protested against the assault on the I News staff. Later the Police received the complaint of the I News staff and encouraged the Big Bazaar staff to file a counter complaint on the I News Reporter and Cameraman. The electronic media journalists who were present there got the impression that the police were siding with the Big Bazaar staff.

The attack on the I News Reporter and Cameraman amounts to attack on freedom of the press and obstruction of the coverage of news by the journalists. Of late, the attacks on the media are on the raise and causing worry to the working journalists community in the state. APUWJ delegation requested Home Minister to take stringent action against the police who tried to help the Big Bazaar staff.