Press Club, DUJ Condemn FIR Against ‘The Caravan’ Journalists Who Faced Assault in 2020

Newsclick Report

New Delhi: The Press Club of India (PCI) has strongly condemned an FIR against journalists of the magazine, The Caravan, in the Bhajanpura Police Station in Northeast Delhi, under serious sections in a four-year-old case of alleged assault on the journalists themselves. The sections slapped on the journalists include 153A (promoting communal enmity) and 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman).

The Caravan magazine, in a statement, said it had not received the certified copy of the FIR, citing its  “sensitive nature”.  

It said the cases against its journalists were “false and fabricated”, and “an attempt to muzzle their reporting”.

“It is also extremely concerning that our reporters, who were reporting on accusations against the police by a Delhi violence complainant, are now facing an FIR at the same police station,” it said, adding that it had joined the investigation and intended to comply fully with the due process of law. “We will exercise our rights under the law to challenge these false accusations….”

Describing the incident, the magazine said that on August 11, 2020, a mob assaulted three journalists—Shahid Tantray, Prabhjit Singh and a woman journalist—in northeast Delhi’s Subhash Mohalla neighbourhood.

“The journalists were subjected to communal slurs and threatened with murder; the woman reporter was sexually harassed. One man who identified himself as “a general secretary” of the Bharatiya Janata Party had launched an attack on our staffers after learning Tantray’s Muslim identity,” it alleged.

At that time, too, the PCI had raised serious concerns about the attack on the journalists and demanded an FIR as well as a judicial probe.

“Most disturbing is the fact that the journalists who were reporting on allegations against the police were attacked and are now facing a serious FIR at the same police station. The same police has not followed up on the FIR by the Caravan journalists”, the PCI said in a statement.

PCI urged the Delhi Police “to halt the FIR against the journalists and to properly investigate the FIR by the Caravan journalists” and also called upon the Delhi High Court to monitor the investigations so that power is not misused to attack press freedom.

The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ)  also issued a statement saying that “it is shocked by the news that the Delhi Police has decided to prosecute three journalists reporting for Caravan magazine for an incident that happened four years ago. Caravan journalists are reporters, not rioters.”

The DUJ has demanded that the 'investigation' of the FIR be stopped and the entire episode be investigated by the Delhi High Court. The statement further says that we consider the FIR an attack on the freedom of the press and in particular on Caravan which is known for its bold and independent reporting, analysis and disclosures.

Read the full PCI and DUJ statements below:

PRESS STATEMENT

The Press Club of India strongly condemns the FIR against journalists of The Caravan under serious sections such as IPC 354 and 153(A) at the Bhajanpura Police Station in North East Delhi.

In August of 2020, the journalists concerned were reporting on allegations against the police officials at Bhajanpura PS in Delhi and on communal tensions in the North East Delhi area. During the course of their work, they had faced a life-threatening communal attack and sexual harassment by a mob in the area. At the time, the PCI had raised serious concerns about the attack on the journalists and demanded an FIR as well as a judicial probe.

Instead of holding the attackers to account, the Delhi Police not only delayed the registration of the FIR but has taken forward an investigation against the journalists instead. The details of the FIR against the journalists are completely counter to the facts of the incident, which were widely reported by the media. It is extremely concerning that the police did not inform The Caravan of this FIR for four years.

Most disturbing is the fact that the journalists who were reporting on allegations against the police were attacked and are now facing a serious FIR at the same police station. The same police has not followed up on the FIR by the Caravan journalists.

This is a clear attempt to suppress journalists and to throttle press freedom. The PCI extends its full support to the journalists of The Caravan who are being persecuted simply for carrying out their journalistic duty. We also condemn the biased and vindictive conduct of the Delhi Police.

We call on the Delhi Police to carry out its duty fairly and without bias, to halt the FIR against the journalists and to properly investigate the FIR by the Caravan journalists. We also call on the Delhi High Court to monitor the investigations so that power is not misused to attack press freedom.

Sd/-

Gautam Lahiri (President)

Neeraj Thakur (Secretary General)

DUJ Statement

The Delhi Union of Journalists is shocked at the news that Delhi Police has chosen to prosecute three journalists, who were reporting for the Caravan journal, for an incident that occurred four years ago.  The Caravan journalists are reporters, not rioters.

The journalists, two young men and a young woman, had been attacked by a communal mob in August 2020 while investigating a complaint against the Bhajanpura police.

The journalists filed an FIR about the mob violence but the police did not pursue their complaint for four years. Instead it is now prosecuting three journalists under serious non-bailable charges under a counter FIR.

 The non-bailable charges under Section 354 and 153 A of the IPC are for alleged assault and for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion.

The DUJ demands that the 'investigation' into the FIR be halted and an inquiry be conducted by the Delhi High Court into the entire episode. We view the FIR as an assault on the freedom of the press and particularly an assault on Caravan which is reputed for its bold and independent reportage, analyses and exposes.