The voice of the nation, Arnab Goswami has received ‘Y’ category security, if a report in Hindustan Times is to be believed.

The story claims that the security arrangements were being made on the recommendations of the Intelligence Bureau’s threat-perception analysis. This is supposedly because Goswami has received threats from Pakistan-based terror outfits.

As with all things Goswami, the report had Twitter chomping at the bit, with #threattoArnab trending. Meanwhile, Goswami himself has still not commented on whether he has indeed received threats and subsequent security cover. We’ve reached out to him and are yet to receive a response.

But judging from his campaign on VVIP racism on The Newshour, it’s unlikely that Goswami will think highly of the security fuss around him.

When Newslaundry reached out to Union Ministry of Home Affairs for more information, we were told by a senior official that the decision to give Goswami security was that of the state government and the Centre had nothing to do with it. 

Speculations is rife even in the Times Now office as to whether or not Goswami has actually taken the security cover. Despite being announced only yesterday, Newslaundry spoke to sources at the Times Now who told us that no guards were spotted around him or his car as of now.

Currently, there are about 450 people who received protection under ‘X’ (4 guards), ‘Y’ (20 guards), ‘Z’ (30 guards and one escort vehicle) and ‘Z Plus’ (40 guards and two escort vehicles) categories. Goswami is not the only journalist to receive protection, Sudhir Choudhary from Zee News also received ‘X’ category security from the Centre. 

The idea of journalists receiving security cover, though, has divided the journalistic community.

Indeed it’s good news if the government is finally taking the security of journalists seriously. But past records suggest that only city journalists have received such privileges. In 2016, eight journalists were murdered and there has yet to be a single conviction in any of the cases. Not to mention that early this year, journalists were assaulted in the national capital inside a court complex.

Far from the national capital, Chhattisgarh is one of the areas where journalists are living under a barrage of threats. For instance, Malini Subramaniam from Scroll was harrassed and threatened until she left Bastar. Prabhat Singh, was jailed for posting and circulating “objectionable” content. In Uttar Pradesh last year, Jagendra Singh was allegedly murdered at the behest of a minister, for exposing illegal sand mining in the state.

According to the Global Impunity index compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists, India is one of the top countries that has little or no accountability for crimes against journalists.

If indeed this courtesy has been extended to Goswami, surely it should also be extended to other journalists, especially those in conflict states. Or are threats only to be taken seriously if they come from Pakistan?