Press Statement

Journalist hacked to death in Tamil Nadu, India

13 Jan, 2017

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists (India) in condemning the murder of a journalist on the outskirts of Sattur in Tamil Nadu state, south India on Monday, 9 January. The IFJ demands the prosecution of those involved in the killing.

An armed gang reportedly assaulted S Karthigal Selvan, 43, a weekly magazine journalist, near the Tamil Nadu Hotel and left him dead in a pool of blood. Selvan was a partner in the leased restaurant of the hotel. Six people have surrendered to the police in connection with the case. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

The NUJI has condemned the killing and has demanded an immediate inquiry to punish the killers. This is the second killing in India in 2017 – the first being the murder of journalist Brajkishore Kumar Brajesh in Bihar on January 3. The IFJ Killed List recorded five journalist killings in India in 2016.

The IFJ said: “The IFJ condemns the killing of journalist S Karthigal Selvan in Tamil Nadu, India. Despite being a democracy, India has failed to protect journalists and the trend of the killing of journalist is rising high over recent years and 2017 looks even gloomier with two killings in first two weeks of the year. The IFJ urges the Indian government to immediately prosecute Selvan’s killers and map out a concrete plan for the safety of journalists in India.”

Written By

IFJ Asia-Pacific IFJ Asia-Pacific

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 140 countries.
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0946
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