By IANS,
Bhubaneswar: A German woman journalist has been disallowed to visit Lanjigarh tribal area of Kalahandi district as the Maoists are observing a protest week from Friday against the anti-rebel Operation Green Hunt in the region, Odisha Police said.
Sandra Petersmann, South Asia correspondent of German Radio Network at New Delhi, was in district town of Bhabanipatna, over 500 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, to visit the region in connection with a story along with her Indian colleague Anup Saxena.
District police superintendent Sudha Singh said she has issued an advisory asking Sandra not to visit the region.
“It was just an advisory. I told her if she wants to visit the area, she can do it but at her own risk,” Singh told IANS, adding that police did not object to Saxena’s visit as he is an Indian citizen.
Sandra, who protested the move, said it was a censorship of media.
Saxena said he has decided against going to the area. “I am also not going. We are complying with the advisory. We cancelled our plan and have cut our trip short,” Saxena told IANS.
Police have been discouraging the visit of foreigners into Odisha’s tribal areas after the Left-wing extremists kidnapped two Italians in Kandhamal district March 14.
The rebels released one of the hostages March 25 and the other April 12 after the state authorities fulfilled several of the conditions laid down by the rebels following hectic negotiations.