Odisha: 4 journalists succumbed to Covid in April so far

Last year, four journalists, including a Bhubaneswar TV channel reporter, succumbed to Covid-19 in Odisha.

Published on: Apr 26, 2021, 14:05:10 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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At least four journalists in Odisha succumbed this month to Covid-19, amid the second wave of the disease.

Amjad Badshah worked for several TV channels and also wrote for fortnightly news magazine Down to Earth.

Amjad Badshah, 45, died on Sunday afternoon after battling the virus for 18 days after testing positive on April 7. He worked for several TV channels and also wrote for fortnightly news magazine Down to Earth. He was also consulting editor for NFTV Media, a firm established in July last year.

Two days earlier on Friday, two journalists from Ganjam district succumbed to the disease. One of them, 25-years old Govinda Behera, a resident of Kukudakhandi block, was employed with news portal News 6; while the second victim, Manoj Sahoo, a resident of Chikiti block, was a reporter for Odia daily ‘Nitidin’.

Behera was first quarantined after showing Covid symptoms and then admitted to the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati (MKCG) Medical College & Hospital in Berhampur town after testing positive. He died later in the day after his oxygen level dropped. Fifteen minutes after his death, his uncle too succumbed to the virus.

Manoj Sahoo also died while being treated at the MKCG Covid Hospital. The same day, 46-year-old Jatish Khamari, reporter of Odia daily Sambad in Balangir district, too succumbed to Covid in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.

Last year, four journalists, including a Bhubaneswar TV channel reporter, succumbed to Covid. The Naveen Patnaik government later gave ₹15 lakh ex-gratia to the families of three deceased journalists.

According to the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), since the beginning of March last year, 585 journalists have died in 57 countries due to Covid. India is the second-most affected with 53 deaths, preceded only by Peru with 93 deaths.

On Sunday, Vivek Bendre, The Hindu’s senior Mumbai-based photojournalist, succumbed to Covid. Early this week, Chanchal Pal Chauhan of Economic Times too fell to the disease. In Puducherry, K Dharmaraj alias Bharath (34), a video journalist with Polymer TV died due to Covid-19 on Thursday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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