Several journalists detained while covering protests, allegations against Delhi Police
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Police detained them despite showing press cards.
Several journalists covering the protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were detained by the police on Saturday in Delhi. Among them were Ayush Tiwari from Scroll and political editor Shoaib Daniyal, as well as journalists from Newslaundry, Navbharat Times, Reuters, and Malayalam news channel Reporter TV.
The Hindu reported that, according to the concerned media organizations and journalists, the police detained them despite their identification and press cards being shown. Allegations of mistreatment and being forcibly taken away have also emerged against some journalists.
Scroll journalist Ayush Tiwari was detained near ITO. He was not at the protest site at Jantar Mantar. According to him, his press card was clearly visible, and he informed the police multiple times that he was a journalist. Nevertheless, he was taken away in a police van. Tiwari stated that he shouted to identify himself, but the police responded that everyone claims to be a journalist. This incident has raised questions about the work and safety of media personnel covering the protest.
Scroll political editor Shoaib Daniyal was detained near CR Park, an area far from central Delhi and Jantar Mantar. Daniyal was waiting for a taxi at the time. Reports indicate that both journalists were detained from different locations. The detention of these journalists has also been confirmed by the international organization Committee to Protect Journalists.
Newslaundry reported that its journalists Anmol Preetam, Ashwini Kumar Singh, Aastha Savyasachi, and Anshu Gupta were also detained. According to the organization, when the journalists identified themselves as media members, they were allegedly told, “There is no media.” Amid these allegations of ignoring journalists' identities, media organizations have made public the information regarding the detention of their employees.
Senior journalist Ajit Anjum was also prevented by the Delhi police from covering the event.
Ajit Anjum stated in a post on X that,
There is a blockade all around Jantar Mantar, but the road leading from CP to Jantar Mantar has also been completely closed. This morning, while shooting on Parliament Road, I reached the outer circle of CP, and on my way back, I was stopped in this manner. There is a lot of strictness for the media today.
Two journalists from Navbharat Times, Hrithik Joshi and Rahul Charas, were also detained while reporting. The newspaper's editor, Ashish Pandey, shared this information on social media. He alleged that Rahul was also mistreated. According to Pandey, their team had media identification cards that were clearly visible. Nevertheless, both journalists were detained by the police.
Two female journalists from Malayalam news channel Reporter TV, Roshni Rajan and Farza TM, were allegedly pulled away by the police. Both were covering the protest. Meanwhile, journalist Piyush Rai reported on social media that Saurabh Sharma, a journalist working for Reuters, was also detained by the Delhi police. Amid reports of actions against journalists from different organizations, the issue of press freedom has also been raised.
The international media monitoring organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has demanded the immediate release of all detained journalists and media personnel by the Delhi police. The organization appealed for the return of their equipment, an investigation into reports of physical abuse, and allowing journalists to cover the protests without any interference. It stated that a free press is essential for democracy. The organization also mentioned that it is monitoring the situation and gathering information on other detained journalists and media personnel.
The protest at Jantar Mantar was organized by the Cockroach People's political campaign and student organizations affiliated with leftist parties. According to the organizers, the protest was scheduled to begin at 10 AM. The protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar based on questions raised about the functioning of the Election Commission and the special intensive review of voter lists, known as SIR. Protests regarding this demand have taken place in various parts of the country over the past few weeks.
The police did not grant permission for this protest. Several restrictions were imposed in the capital to prevent people from gathering before the protest. These included detaining people, canceling trains, closing 45 metro stations, and suspending mobile internet services in central Delhi. The organizers described these measures as acts of intimidation. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters and political leaders were also detained from various parts of the city.
Cockroach People's leaders Abhijit Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka were detained immediately after arriving in Delhi from inside the aircraft. YouTuber Dhruv Rathi and the campaign's head of legal affairs, Ratna Singh, were detained from other locations. Meanwhile, demands for the release of journalists and allowing them to report freely have emerged.