Killings – Journalists

At the time of the killing, the journalist and two colleagues from Doordarshan were embedded with the police and covering preparations for upcoming elections, the reports said. Sahu was on a motorcycle toward the front of the group when the clash, in which two police officers were also killed, took place, according to the Indian Express.

State-level elections are scheduled to be held in Chhattisgarh in two phases, on November 12 and 20. Chhattisgarh is one of four Indian states that have been the scene of a Maoist insurgency in the past few decades.

Dheeraj Kumar, who was part of the Doordarshan news crew, told The Hindustan Times that the group was ambushed as it headed toward Nilwaya, about 5km (3 miles) from a paramilitary camp in Sameli, a village in the Dantewada district. “I saw my colleague fall in front of me,” Kumar said. “We were planning to cover a newly-built polling station in Nilwaya where people haven’t voted since 1998.”

“The killing of Achyutananda Sahu in Chhattisgarh underscores the dangers that journalists face when reporting in areas where Maoists operate,” said CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney in New York. “Authorities must ensure the safety of journalists embedded with the security forces and do all in their power so that journalists can cover elections safely in any region.”