NEW DELHI, 15 Nov: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) and its affiliate, the Tripura Journalists Union (TJU) have condemned the detention and filing of cases against two Delhi-based women journalists of HW News Network (HWNN), Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha, for their reportage and tweet on the communal friction in the state.
“Though the two were released on bail by the CJM court in Gomti district on Monday on furnishing a bond of Rs 75,000 each, the IJU demands that the cases, as well as against journalist Shyam Meera Singh (under UAPA), be withdrawn immediately, as these have a chilling effect (overt censorship) on journalists and stifle freedom of speech and expression,” the IJU said.
In a statement on Sunday, the HWNN said that Sakunia and Jha were “detained by Assam Police on their way to Silchar on request of Tripura Police. They were served FIR, charging them under IPC Sections 120 B, 153 A and 504 on complaint of a local VHP member for allegedly ‘maligning’ the image of Tripura government and VHP.”
After due legal process, both were allowed to leave their hotel, but were taken back to Tripura for further questioning. This, the HWNN said, “is sheer harassment and targeting of the press on part of Tripura Police and government to suppress us from reporting facts of the case.”
On its part, the Tripura Police in a statement said that the two journalists were booked at the Kakraban police station, south Tripura “for creating hatred between communities by fabricating, concealing of record, etc, in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy as revealed from the tweeter post by Sakunia.”
The police said that Sakunia had posted on social media a video relating to a claim that a holy Quran had been burnt in a half-burnt prayer hall on 19 October. “However, on investigation, no such damaged books/documents were brought to the IO notice,” the police said, adding that a suo moto complaint was therefore filed.
“The journalist was asked to give details of the said document, but instead of cooperating she left Tripura. The Assam Police help was thus sought. The two have also been booked for spreading communal hatred at Paul Bazaar under Fatikroy police station under north Tripura,” the police said.
The TJU had earlier demanded that the government issue an order for immediate and unconditional release of the two journalists. Besides this, the TJU general secretary led a fact-finding team to Udaipur in south Tripura, where the journalists had been held.
In a statement, IJU President Geetartha Pathak and Secretary-General Sabina Inderjit said that the action of the Tripura Police comes across as sustained harassment and intimidation of the journalists under the garb of quelling ‘vested interests trying to flare up communal incident in Tripura’.
“Though the women journalists have been granted bail and the Supreme Court has agreed to admit Shyam Meera Singh’s case against UAPA charges, the harassment they face is unsettling and the authorities must refrain from such sinister actions,” they said.
