An incident with a reporter

Dear friends
Forgive me for bothering you again.
I want to draw your attention to a special branch officers' visit to my home in connection
with what he called his superior's queries about my stories. His superiors told me it was
matter related to my identity verification, as required by an intelligence agency. I suspect,
it is a part of governments' surveillance on journalists, perceived as sympathetic to the
Maoists.
I hope those of you are concerned about its larger implication on our professional rights
would react in the manner you may find befitting.

Following are the details for those of you who may be interested.

Three men claiming to be policemen visited my home at Beleghata on 24th Dec, around 6
PM) as well as day before the day, to inquire about professional and personal details that
includes names of my children and where do they study.
These men were in mufti and didn't divulge their name and designation as SC order
demands, despite my family members asked. They spoke in intimidating and harassing
manner and refused to contact me for details as my family members had requested them.
They said they have my mobile number but insisted my family members to inform details
about my family and me.
Scared, my family members informed me last night on my return and I called up OC
Beleghata police station as well as DC (SB) and DC (security) this morning to verify the
identity of the visitors and their purpose. Initially, I thought the matter pertained to my
son's passport application that was duly verified by the concerned security wing officer.
One of the visitors came to my home around this noon (25th December), probably after
his superiors instructed him. He identified himself as SI Debabrata Saha, posted at
Beleghata PS as SB officer. He claimed his superior, OC (Congress) had been impressed
about my reports and wanted him to verify my whereabouts. He also said his superior
have told him to list the details of the reporters staying in his jurisdiction.
He didn't give satisfactory reply to my questions-- why he or his superiors, so 'impressed'
about my copies, didn't call up me and decided to grill my family members instead? For
what on earth, SB requires information about a reporter's school-going children and other
family members, ostensibly to know his professional work?
Obviously, he was trying to conceal the real purpose of his visit that the DC (security)
later told me. He said, it was related to my identity and address verification needed by a
government agency.
The officer didn't name the agency but hinted it was a central intelligence agency.
As I wanted to know whether it was anything to do with the reporters contacts with
Maoist leaders like 'Kisenji', he said it might be the case. I said I should know why the
'agency' bothered about me and I won't mind speaking to the concerned officials as a law-
abiding citizen and a responsible member of media. He didn't disclose the nature of the
inquiry about me or the name of the intelligence agency but told me not to be perturbed.
I asked him whether it is part of any official policy to put reporters (who keeps contact
with mainstream and ultra leaders as well for professional purpose) on surveillance and
thus infringing upon our professional rights. He denied knowledge of it.
Friends, I suspect what happened to me may happen to other reporters too in the coming
days or some of us have already experienced it. Without taxing you more, I request you
to consider the larger implications. Are the governments, both in the Centre and the state,
keeping tab on reporters suspected of being Maoist sympathizers. The eerie feeling
gained ground in the light of the union home ministers earlier warning to the civil society
apologists of the ultras? The UAPA has already made provisions for booking such
suspected accomplices and onus of proving innocence will be on the accused.
I have no qualm in condemning the Maoists' wanton killings of their political opponents,
particularly, the CPM supporters and many other poor people for merely being suspected
police molesall in the name of people's justice. I wrote about it as I also did stories on
CPM's doublespeak on the UAPA. Neither I share Maoists' totalitarian politics nor I
consider them as a gang of criminals. I feel they manifest strong reaction of the marginal
communities to the basic maladies in our body politick, including those in the mainstream
Left politics which cannot be contained by guns.
But my personal opinion hardly matters. What matters is the moot question---whether we
should remain unperturbed about the governments tactics to scare and goad the
independent-minded journalists (who refused to fit it the straightjacket us and them
binary) to fall in line? Is this a beginning of mid-night knocks for journalists too, who,
because of our proximity to power, considered ourselves immuned from such nasty tricks
of the state?
Regards
Biswajit Roy (Madhu)

Biswajit Roy is a senior reporter from THE TELEGRAPH