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CHANDIGARH: The Punjab governor, Editors Guild of India and journalist groups from across the country have criticised the arrest of a Times Now Navbharat journalist in Ludhiana by the Punjab police on Friday night.
The National Commission for Women said it had taken cognisance of the incident and that the arrest “seems to be politically motivated”. An NCW statement said “Ms Bhavana Kishore must be released immediately if she is still under illegal detention.” It sought an action-taken report and an FIR copy. Meanwhile, Bhavana got two-day interim bail from the Punjab and Haryana HC.
The NCW said that “considering the gravity of the situation” chairperson Rekha Sharma had written to the Punjab DGP to personally look into the matter as the journalist was “unreachable since the incident”.
Blatant attack on freedom of press, says media body
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit called up CM Bhagwant Mann on Saturday to express concern over the arrest of a Delhi-based TV woman journalist, Bhavana Kishore, and pointed out that such an incident didn’t send out a good message about the state.
Chandigarh Press Club, the Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, the National Union of Journalists, the Delhi Union of Journalists, and many other journalists have called for the cancellation of the FIR filed against Bhawana Kishore, cameraperson Mritunjay Kumar and driver Parminder Singh by Punjab police.
Times Now Navbharat, in a statement, said its team from Delhi had gone to Ludhiana after they were invited to cover an AAP political programme hosted by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwat Mann. In a bizarre turn of events, the team was taken unawares and arrested by the Ludhiana police on charges of “rash driving and insulting Dalits”.
As per the Times Now statement, the team was first forcibly denied access to cover the mohalla clinic event, and on return from the location around 4pm they were stopped by a group of women in an e-rickshaw which rammed into their car. The women then forcefully stopped the car, got into a brawl and called local police. The Times Now statement said, “We have reasons to believe that these women were motivated AAP workers.”
“They allegedly claimed that the team abused them with SC/ST remarks. It is incomprehensible as to how people from Delhi in a car would be able to guess the caste of strangers on a street in Ludhiana,” the network said, adding she was “forced to sign some documents in Gurmukhi, clearly against her will and without the knowledge of the language.”
The arrest of a journalist and her team on assignment has sent shockwaves through the journalistic fraternity. Editors Guild president Seema Mustafa urged the Punjab government to release the journalist from detention and direct its police to follow established procedure. As she was on an assignment, the guild in its statement said law enforcement agencies should have exercised due restraint with respect to detention and subsequent filing of an FIR.
The Chandigarh Press Club, through its president Saurav Duggal, condemned the “unlawful arrest” of the journalist while she was on professional duty. The press club also questioned the “working of the Punjab police at the behest of the AAP government in Punjab”.
“She had gone to cover the inauguration of mohalla clinics in Ludhiana by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann when she was arrested, by a male police officer. No woman police officer was seen there. For hours, her family was not informed. Her colleagues tried to contact her but to no avail,” said the press club statement. “It is a blatant attack on freedom of press,” the Chandigarh Press Club said and added it is taking up the matter with Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Delhi Union of Journalists, via its president S K Pande, condemned the arbitrary arrest. “Strangely enough, Bhawana was not driving the vehicle. She has been charged under the SC/ST Act for allegedly abusing the two women. The circumstances of the arrest seem strange,” the union said.
Highlighting the anomalies in the procedure of the journalist’s arrest, Indian Women Press Corps said as women police personnel were not present when the reporter and her team were detained, “we urge authorities to take strict action against the erring police personnel for not following police norms required to be observed while arresting a woman”.
The Press Club of India also criticised the highhandedness of the police for the arbitrary arrest of the Times Now journalist and her team.
The National Commission for Women said it had taken cognisance of the incident and that the arrest “seems to be politically motivated”. An NCW statement said “Ms Bhavana Kishore must be released immediately if she is still under illegal detention.” It sought an action-taken report and an FIR copy. Meanwhile, Bhavana got two-day interim bail from the Punjab and Haryana HC.
The NCW said that “considering the gravity of the situation” chairperson Rekha Sharma had written to the Punjab DGP to personally look into the matter as the journalist was “unreachable since the incident”.
Blatant attack on freedom of press, says media body
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit called up CM Bhagwant Mann on Saturday to express concern over the arrest of a Delhi-based TV woman journalist, Bhavana Kishore, and pointed out that such an incident didn’t send out a good message about the state.
Chandigarh Press Club, the Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, the National Union of Journalists, the Delhi Union of Journalists, and many other journalists have called for the cancellation of the FIR filed against Bhawana Kishore, cameraperson Mritunjay Kumar and driver Parminder Singh by Punjab police.
Times Now Navbharat, in a statement, said its team from Delhi had gone to Ludhiana after they were invited to cover an AAP political programme hosted by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwat Mann. In a bizarre turn of events, the team was taken unawares and arrested by the Ludhiana police on charges of “rash driving and insulting Dalits”.
As per the Times Now statement, the team was first forcibly denied access to cover the mohalla clinic event, and on return from the location around 4pm they were stopped by a group of women in an e-rickshaw which rammed into their car. The women then forcefully stopped the car, got into a brawl and called local police. The Times Now statement said, “We have reasons to believe that these women were motivated AAP workers.”
“They allegedly claimed that the team abused them with SC/ST remarks. It is incomprehensible as to how people from Delhi in a car would be able to guess the caste of strangers on a street in Ludhiana,” the network said, adding she was “forced to sign some documents in Gurmukhi, clearly against her will and without the knowledge of the language.”
The arrest of a journalist and her team on assignment has sent shockwaves through the journalistic fraternity. Editors Guild president Seema Mustafa urged the Punjab government to release the journalist from detention and direct its police to follow established procedure. As she was on an assignment, the guild in its statement said law enforcement agencies should have exercised due restraint with respect to detention and subsequent filing of an FIR.
The Chandigarh Press Club, through its president Saurav Duggal, condemned the “unlawful arrest” of the journalist while she was on professional duty. The press club also questioned the “working of the Punjab police at the behest of the AAP government in Punjab”.
“She had gone to cover the inauguration of mohalla clinics in Ludhiana by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann when she was arrested, by a male police officer. No woman police officer was seen there. For hours, her family was not informed. Her colleagues tried to contact her but to no avail,” said the press club statement. “It is a blatant attack on freedom of press,” the Chandigarh Press Club said and added it is taking up the matter with Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Delhi Union of Journalists, via its president S K Pande, condemned the arbitrary arrest. “Strangely enough, Bhawana was not driving the vehicle. She has been charged under the SC/ST Act for allegedly abusing the two women. The circumstances of the arrest seem strange,” the union said.
Highlighting the anomalies in the procedure of the journalist’s arrest, Indian Women Press Corps said as women police personnel were not present when the reporter and her team were detained, “we urge authorities to take strict action against the erring police personnel for not following police norms required to be observed while arresting a woman”.
The Press Club of India also criticised the highhandedness of the police for the arbitrary arrest of the Times Now journalist and her team.
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