Tamil Nadu

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the global organisation representing over 500,000 journalists in more than 110 countries, is deeply concerned about reports of a violent attack against TV journalists in Chennai. According to IFJ sources, on August 31 a television crew was allegedly assaulted in Chennai while covering a victory celebration of transport employees who had been...

The high court in the India's southern city of Madras has dropped terrorism charges against a high-profile regional journalist, RR Gopal. Mr Gopal, editor of the weekly Nakeeran magazine, was charged in 2003 with illegally possessing a weapon. He spent eight months and prison but was later released on bail. He was the first journalist in India to be charged under the controversial Prevention of...

On 20 December 2003, R.R. Gopal, editor of the Tamil-language magazine "Nakkheeran", was released on bail following a Tamil Nadu High Court order. Gopal was detained in Chennai Central prison for more than eight months. He still faces charges for "conspiring to promote the secession of Tamil Nadu state" and "possession of a firearm". He was charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) on...

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières) protested today against the arrest of a reporter working for the Tamil-language biweekly Nakkheeran, in what is a renewed attempt by the authorities in the south-eastern state of Tamil Nadu to implicate the staff of this independent newspaper in a murder allegedly committed by the well-known local bandit Veerappan. The reporter, who is known...

Magazine publisher RR Gopal, of the Tamil-language publication Nakkheeran, was freed on bail on 20 December on the order of the Tamil Nadu High Court. Gopal, who has been held in Chennai Central prison for more than eight months, remains accused of conspiracy "to separate Tamil Nadu from the Indian State" and possession of a firearm. He was charged on 11 April 2003 under the Prevention of...

RSF has welcomed the Indian Supreme Court's suspension of orders by the Tamil Nadu State Assembly to arrest the publisher, two senior editors and two journalists from the national daily "The Hindu". They had each been sentenced to serve 15 days in prison for "breach of privilege" after their newspaper criticised the arrest of an opposition figure and the harassment of independent media. "The...

R.R. Gopal, editor of the Tamil-language magazine "Nakkheeran", has been sent to prison in Poonnamalle, near Chennai. Judge L.Rajendran formally charged him with "conspiring to promote the secession of Tamil Nadu state" and "possession of a firearm" under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). It is the first time a journalist had been charged in India under the controversial law. Police said...

On 14 April 2003, RSF denounced the arrest of R. R. Gopal, editor of the bi-weekly Tamil-language magazine "Nakkheeran", for "illegal possession of firearms" and "sedition". The organisation said the editor's arrest is an attempt by police to cover up their inability to find Veerappan, one of India's most notorious bandits. RSF said Gopal and other journalists in the southeastern state of Tamil...

Police in Tamil Nadu state (south-eastern India) have been attempting, by every possible means, to arrest R. R. Gopal, editor of the Tamil-language twice-weekly magazine "Nakkheeran", because of his alleged ties with the wanted bandit Veerappan. RSF has asked Tamil Nadu state police and government officials to stop harassing "Nakkheeran"'s editorial staff. The organisation believes that the...

On 31 January 2003, RSF called on Tamil Nadu state government leader Selvi J. Jayalalithaa to either provide evidence of journalist Krishna Kumar's reported involvement in a five-year-old murder or release him at once. Kumar, of the fortnightly Tamil newspaper "Nakeeran", was picked up on 29 January, in the morning, officially in connection with the killing of a young woman five years ago. However...