The Tamil Nadu governor during a press conference patted a cheek of the woman-journalist in response to the question asked by her.
A day after the uproar over “harassment” of a senior woman journalist by the Tamil Nadu Governor, about 200 journalists wrote a letter to the governor Banwarilal Purohit condemning the incident. In the incident that took place on Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu governor during a press conference patted a cheek of the woman journalist in response to the question asked by her. The incident caused outrage among industry professionals.
The journalists, mainly from Tamil Nadu condemned the act of governor and also demanded an unconditional apology from him. The letter also asks for an assurance that he will not violate the rights of journalists in future.
The letter termed the act of governor as “patronising”. “Your action today in touching the cheek of a senior lady reporter who asked you a question at the press meet was patronising at best and a violation of her rights as a woman at worst,” said the petition.
The letter further stated that the act of Governor was “appalling” as he was addressing a press conference regarding the case of a professor allegedly luring students to sexual encounters with her seniors while claiming to have known the governor. “We do not wish to question your motives on this gesture,” added the letter.
The governor also received a lot of flak from the Chennai Press Club which termed the act as “unbecoming behaviour”. The Chennai Press Club said, “Though you may claim to take shelter that it was an innocuous gesture from an elderly man, the law says otherwise.”
The journalist who works for an English magazine called out the Governor’s action on her twitter handle. She said that she was agitated and angered at Mr Banwarilal Purohit. “It might be an act of appreciation by you and grandfatherly attitude. But to me you are wrong.”
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