A penchant, light-hearted, dedicated; Colleagues remember slain video journalist

They recalled that he was always the first to put his hand up for challenging assignments and had previously been to Naxal-affected areas and Jammu and Kashmir for coverage.

DD News cameraman Achyutanand Sahu, who was killed in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, was a go-getter with a penchant for challenging assignments, his colleagues said.

A pall of gloom descended on the newsroom of the public broadcaster as reports of his death came in with several of his colleagues reminiscing how the 34-year-old would make them smile with his light-hearted quips.

Sahu's colleagues at DD News wore black bands, even on air, to condemn the attack by Naxals.

"He was a very dedicated cameraperson, ready to take on any responsibility given to him. He had done wide-ranging coverage of events outside Delhi," DD News Director General Mayank Agarwal told PTI.

Agarwal said Sahu, who was employed with DD News on a contractual basis, was always keen on doing challenging assignments.

Sub Inspector Rudra Pratap, Assistant Constable Mangalu and cameraman Sahu were killed in the Naxal ambush in poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Tuesday.

Many of Sahu's colleagues could not believe that he has been brutally killed and were in shock at his death.

They recalled that he was always the first to put his hand up for challenging assignments and had previously been to Naxal-affected areas and Jammu and Kashmir for coverage.

"He was a very jolly person. He was also very dedicated. He was always ready for challenging assignments, whether it is in Naxal-affected areas or in Jammu and Kashmir. He was one of the first persons to put his hand up despite knowing about the difficulties and challenges he would face," DD News reporter Sudhakar Das said.

Sahu was daring and never said no to assignments, he said.

Das said Sahu had been in DD News for about 6-7 years and his work was often appreciated by the seniors.

Ajay Mishra, a senior correspondent at DD News and another colleague who had worked with Sahu on a number of assignments, said: "When we got the news, we could not believe it. The camera assistant called and told us that there has been a Naxal attack and he has been killed point blank range."

"We wore black bands, even on air, to condemn this cowardly act of Naxals. We want to give a message that if they think media persons will get scared, then they are mistaken," Mishra said.

He said Sahu had a pleasing personality and always used to light up the newsroom with his humour.

"He used to say that 'I don't like being in the studio, want to go out on reporting assignments'. Recently, he doubled up as a reporter and a cameraperson during Sushma Swaraj's visit to the United Nations. You can call him a one-man army. He was always up for challenging assignments," Mishra said.

Anuj Yadav, a senior correspondent at DD News, said the best thing about Sahu was that he always used to always take the initiative on assignments.

"He never refused challenging assignments. Some cameramen did decline going to Chhattisgarh, but he said I have no problems," he said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has announced financial assistance of Rs 15 lakh to the next of kin of Sahu, who is survived by his wife.

(With inputs from agencies.)