New Delhi: A journalist in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur was arrested on Wednesday, March 2, for allegedly publishing falsehoods and derogatory comments in his satire column against the ruling Congress government in the state, the Indian Express reported.
The complaint, filed with the Raipur cyber police alleges that Nilesh Sharma, editor of India Writers, wrote fictional characters in his column, Ghurwa ki Maati, which bear resemblances to state Congress ministers and legislators.
The complaint was filed by one Khilawan Nishad who purports to be a Congress worker and supporter of Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and health minister T.S. Singhdeo. A first information report (FIR) was registered in the case which says that the column aimed to spread “negativity and draw a wedge among the leaders and office bearers of Congress,” according to a report by the Hindustan Times.
The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 504 (intentionally provoke a breach of peace), 505 (public mischief), 505-1 (publishing a rumour) and 505-2 (statements promoting enmity, hatred or ill will).
Raipur superintendent of police (SP) Prashant Agarwal claimed that Sharma had published false material which was not supported by any evidence. “We have booked him under the relevant sections for spreading rumours, fake news, and more investigation is going on,” the Hindustan Times quoted Agarwal as saying.
Two journalists were arrested on the basis of complaints by Congress legislators in the state last year, too.
On October 25 last year, Madhukar Dubey, owner of news portal Zero Party, along with his technical assistant Avinash Palliwar, were booked after two Congress MLA’s accused them of publishing “misleading and baseless” information.
The two were charged under IPC Sections dealing with extortion, threat of injury to a public service, breach of peace, causing alarm within the public and criminal intimidation and were sent to 14 days judicial remand thereafter.
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Numerous reports on attacks on journalists have emerged from Chhattisgarh over the years and as such, in 2019, a committee headed by a former Supreme Court justice had drafted a bill to ensure the protection of journalists in the state.
The draft bill, dubbed the ‘Chhattisgarh Protection of Mediapersons Act’, sought the creation of a state-level committee to deal with complaints about the harassment of journalists, threats made to their person or instances of their unfair prosecution and arrest.
However, as reported by the Leaflet, scant progress has been made in the three intervening years beyond the draft proposal.