Draft:Danish Siddiqui
Danish Siddiqui (19 May 1980 – 15 July 2021)[1] was an Indian reporter and journalist[2]. He was a Pulitzer Prize recipient as part of his service to Reuters news agency. He was killed on 15 July 2021, while reporting on clashes between Afghanistan security forces and Taliban fighters near the Spin Boldak district border crossing with Pakistan[3].
Education
Siddiqui completed his primary education at Anglo School in New Delhi. He then joined Jamia Millia Islamia and graduated in Economics. He also obtained a degree in Communications from the same institution in 2007[4].
Activities
Siddiqui began his career as a television news reporter. He turned to photojournalism and joined the international news agency Reuters as an intern in 2010. Since then, Siddiqui had covered the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017), the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, and the refugee crisis resulting from the Myanmar genocide (2019–2020). Additionally, the Hong Kong protests, the 2020 Delhi riots, and the COVID-19 pandemic were among his reporting topics, among other events in South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe[5]. In 2018, along with colleague Adnan Abidi, he was the first Indian to win the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography as part of the Reuters photography staff for documenting the Rohingya refugee crisis[6]. A photograph he captured during the 2020 Delhi riots was introduced by Reuters as one of the defining photos of 2020. [10] He had previously been the head of the Reuters images team in India.
Awards
In 2018, for documenting the Rohingya refugee crisis, along with Adnan Abidi, he was recognized as the first Indian alongside "Adnan Abidi" to win the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography (as part of the Reuters photography staff).
Death
Siddiqui was killed by Taliban forces on 15 July 2021 while covering the battle between Afghan government forces and Taliban militants in Spin Boldak district, Kandahar, alongside a senior Afghan officer[7]. An Afghan official stated that he was killed in Taliban gunfire. The Taliban denied this claim and expressed regret over the killing of the journalist[8].
Reactions
India: Indian Foreign Minister "Shringla" condemned the Taliban's actions at the United Nations Security Council meeting[9]. Minister of Information and Security "Anurag Thakur" expressed his regret. United States: Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the United States Department of State "Jalina Porter", called this event a "great loss". Afghanistan: Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan, while emphasizing the protection of journalists and media personnel, called this event shocking and regrettable.