Chhattisgarh: DD-cameraman records message for mother thinking it's his last
What's the story
A video on social media shows Doordarshan camera/lighting assistant Mormukut Sharma recording a message for his mother after they were attacked in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Tuesday. In the attack, he and DD journalist Dheeraj Kumar survived, but their colleague cameraman Achyuta Nanda Sahu lost his life. Two police officers also passed away in the attack. Here's more.
Twitter Post
Sharma records message for mother, tells he loves her
Doordarshan camera/lighting assistant Mormukut Sharma recorded this as Maoists attacked his group, killing colleague Achyutanand Sahu 2 policemen. pic.twitter.com/ae7aXwHqxQ
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) October 31, 2018
The job
They had gone for election coverage, but were ambushed
The trio had gone to the Maoist-affected state for coverage of state polls, scheduled for next month. 37-year-old Kumar said Sahu volunteered to sit behind the jawan right up front, and placed his camera on his thigh. "He told me a camera will probably assure people that we are journalists, and wouldn't be attacked," Kumar was quoted by IE. But soon they were ambushed.
Quote
Kumar recalls what happened
"Ahead of Nilawaya at about 10 AM, Sahu was recording visuals on the road. Meanwhile, police personnel removed a Maoist poster put up on a tree branch. Sahu, who was making its visuals, suddenly fell on the ground," Kumar said recalling the incident.
Close shave
All they heard for 45 minutes was bullets and grenades
Further, Kumar said when the motorcycle he was on lost balance, he rolled into a ditch. Sharma also crawled towards him. "For the next 45 minutes, I just heard sounds of bullets and grenades. There were about 200 Naxals," he said. He revealed some grenades fell close to them but thankfully they didn't explode. He said police reached soon and pushed Naxals into the forest.
The news
Sahu's wife couldn't call for help after watching the news
On Tuesday morning, Sahu, who joined DD in 2013, spoke to his wife Himanchali telling about his morning chores. When Himanchali saw the news on TV, she became speechless. "When I rushed to her, she was just sitting in bed and crying... she told me she didn't have the strength to ask for help when she saw the news," her landlady Praveen Moore said.
Twitter Post
Meanwhile, Editors Guild of India issues statement condemning attack
Editors Guild of India has issued a statement on the Dantewada Naxal attack that killed a Doordarshan camera person. You may also read the full statement here - https://t.co/xrPM0vb2jK pic.twitter.com/hXokcir85j
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) October 30, 2018