The daily media briefings and the distribution of these daily reports, or DRSs as they were commonly known as, was stopped from Monday, a day after the Home Minister and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar cautioned departments about keeping media away from deliberations and from decision-making processes. Earlier, the police had stopped answering calls and refused to comment after being put on the mat for various acts of omission and commission at various police stations especially on issues pertaining to women.
Police attempts to effect an information blackout on crime to local journalists has irked the latter who then approached the Inspector General of Police Sunil Garg demanding to know why the news media was abruptly dropped from the mailing list.
Besides daily press releases, the department regularly used to send request mails about cases they would crack, especially those pertaining to drugs and prostitution raids, and thefts. Sources also say that all police stations have been asked not to brief the media on any complaints or case.
Parrikar while addressing the Confederation of Indian Industries’ Knowledge Connect project in the capital on Sunday had said the media should be brought in the picture only to communicate final outcomes and decisions, a far cry from the transparency mantra touted by him earlier.
