Delhi Police Issues Rules for Protest Coverage
Journalists have been advised to carry visible identification, avoid obstructing police operations and maintain a safe distance during tense situations.
Delhi Police on Monday issued an advisory for journalists covering protests, outlining guidelines intended to help media personnel carry out their reporting while avoiding interference with police operations. The advisory was issued amid continuing protests in the capital and recent allegations by women journalists against police personnel.
The police asked journalists assigned to protest coverage to carry valid identity cards issued by their respective organisations or valid Press Information Bureau and Delhi Information & Publicity accreditation cards. They were also advised to keep their identification visibly displayed at protest sites.
The advisory says journalists should ensure that their presence or activities do not obstruct police operations or the movement of law-enforcement personnel. Police said the guidelines are intended to help officers identify journalists at protest locations while allowing them to perform their professional duties.
During tense situations, journalists have been advised to maintain a reasonable and safe distance while covering and recording events. They have also been asked to position themselves in a way that clearly distinguishes them from protesters.
The advisory comes days after three women journalists alleged that Delhi Police personnel sexually harassed them while they were covering a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar near Jantar Mantar on October 3. Delhi Police said the complaints had been transferred to the Crime Branch for a fair and impartial inquiry.
The allegations followed police action during the protest, which authorities described as a law-and-order situation. Several journalists and other demonstrators subsequently protested outside the Parliament Street police station, demanding action on the complaints.
Delhi Police framed the new advisory around the message that 'the story matters, so does how you get it', combining identification requirements with instructions on positioning and safety. The guidelines do not state that journalists are prohibited from covering protests; rather, they set out the police's expectations for media conduct at such events.
The advisory has therefore placed renewed attention on the balance between journalists' ability to report from demonstrations and the operational requirements of law enforcement. The Crime Branch inquiry into the allegations against police personnel remains separate from the media-coverage guidelines.