Delhi police detain 2 journalists at Singhu border; Congress condemns arrests
- The detained journalists are identified as Mandeep Punia and Dharmendra Singh
- Punia was on Singhu border collecting information on the Thursday violence
- Punia was sent to 14-day judicial custody and the bail hearing is scheduled for Monday, as per reports
Two freelance journalists were detained by the Delhi police at the Singhu border on Saturday for allegedly misbehaving with police officials while covering
news on the ongoing farmers’ protest, against the Centre’s newly enacted farm laws, reports PTI.
The detained journalists are identified as Mandeep Punia, who contributed news stories to media organisation like Caravan, and Dharmendra Singh, who is reportedly a Delhi based journalist working for Online News India.
For live updates | Farmers’ protest Day 67 live: Security deployment continues at Singhu border
As per the editors of the Caravan magazine, Punia was
on the ground collecting information on the violence reported at the protest
site on Thursday, when chaos erupted between protesters and some ‘local
residents’
As far the cause of detention is concerned, the Newslaundry
reported that Punia recorded a conversation between police officials and a
local resident, who wanted to pass through the security to reach the agitation
site.
According to NDTV, Punia, who was charged with several IPC sections, was presented before a magistrate at the Tihar Court Complex on Sunday.
Punia’s lawyer stated that the journalist was sent to 14-day judicial
custody and the bail hearing is scheduled for Monday, reported NDTV.
Ever since the news broke out, opposition leaders
including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanaka Vadra and Randeep Surjewala, began voicing
their opposition on Centre’s attempt to curb freedom of press.
For those unversed, Delhi police comes under the purview
of Central government.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared a video of Punia’s arrest on Twitter and wrote “Those who fear truth arrest honest journalists.”
Priyanka Vadra also took to Twitter to condemn the Delhi police’s action saying “The BJP government wants to trample upon the
voice of the farmers, but they have forgotten that the more you suppress, the
more voices will rise against your atrocities.”
Meanwhile, in another instance of targeting media personnel in
connection with farmers’ agitation, an FIR has been registered against prominent
journalist and founding Editor of The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan, for
publishing a ‘provocative tweet’ pertaining to the death of a farmer during the
Republic Day tractor rally violence.
Related Articles
ADVERTISEMENT