Journalists who helped nab policeman's killer feted

Two electronic media journalists who risked their lives to capture on camera a policeman's killing and a reporter who wrote about the incident in vivid detail leading to the killers' arrest were feted Friday.

Prabir Chakraborty and Samir Mandal -- cameraperson-cum-reporters of two news channels -- and Ashfaq Ahmed, the reporter of an Urdu daily, were conferred Courageous Journalism Award by former Calcutta High Court chief justice Chittatosh Mookherjee at the 10th All Media Personnel Welfare Association (AMPWA) Awards co-organised by the South 24-Parganas Journalist Association.

The trio received threats for their brave act for capturing the crime Feb 12 in Garden Reach during a clash between Trinamool Congress and Congress student activists over student union polls.

Tapas Chowdhury, a sub-inspector attached to Kolkata Police's special branch, was shot at from close range while trying to control the clashing students in Harimohan Ghose College.

The footages captured by Sengupta and Mandal showed the alleged killer Sheikh Subhaan coming out of the crowd holding a firearm, approaching the policeman, turning left, retreating a few steps and then letting go the shot before escaping.

They also captured another footage, which showed Trinamool Congress councillor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Moahmmed Iqbal standing beside Shubhaan.

Kolkata Police filed a first information report based on the footage which eventually led to Iqbal's arrest by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) from Dehri-on-Sone after being on the run for some days. - IANS