ARCHIVE RADIO TODAY

On Sunday, reporter Uma Singh who worked in Janakpur Today FM was killed in her rented house. Threats, intimidation and terror against journalists have become common in recent years. In the eastern Tarai, the threats are the most serious yet the government isn't taking any action to address it. It is well known that the press has been targeted by those who have waged an armed conflict with a political agenda and have adopted criminal activities as a business. They see press freedom as a direct threat. But, standing up for press freedom has exposed the media to attacks. The government shouldn't limit this investigation to finding the culprits of the incident, but to finding the source of the crime wave that has engulfed the Tarai so that in the future no one will ever think of killing a media person. The government has to give priority to the investigation and hunt down the murders not only to protect journalists but also to safeguard democracy.