The Chennai Union of Journalists (CUJ) on Thursday took up the assault on TNIE photographer Albin Mathew by IIT faculty members and security guards with Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal.
They requested the Union Minister to take action against Professor Prakash M Maiya of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras who attacked the photo journalist on August 21, when he went to the IIT premises for covering the death of a student Merugu Manasa.
In the representation sent to the Union Minister explaining what had happened on July 21 at the IIT, V Anbazhgan, president of the CUJ, said, “ following a complaint filed by the photographer with the Kotturpuram police station, it is learnt that Professor Maiya had threatened a few girl students
and made them file a complaint against the photographer stating that he had unnecessarily taken close up shots of them without their permission.”
In this connection, the CUJ president said an examination of the memory card of the camera used by the Express photographer would reveal that the charge against him is false.
He also observed that the attitude of the IIT Madras had always been anti-media and they fail to understand that it is the duty of the
mediapersons to cover incidents like suicide when it happens in an educational institution.
Anbazhagan requested the Union Minister to initiate necessary disciplinary action against Professor Maiya for his unbecoming conduct as a member of the faculty of the premier institution.
Besides, he requested the Minister to instruct the dean and faculty members of the Indian Institute of Technology to be cordial with members of the media.
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