Indian media bodies condemn police action against journos during Delhi farmers’ protests
Three Indian media bodies today condemned the police action against two journalists who were picked up during the farmers' protests at Delhi's Singhu border for allegedly misbehaving with police personnel.
They said such the "crackdown" impinged on the media's right to report freely and interfered with its right to freedom of expression, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
Freelance journalist Mandeep Punia and Dharmender Singh of Online News India were detained by Delhi Police yesterday evening for allegedly misbehaving with police personnel on duty.
While Singh was later released following an undertaking in writing, police showed Punia arrested today.
The Indian Women's Press Corps, Press Club of India and the Press Association, in a joint statement today, demanded Punia's immediate release and demanded no journalist be denied of their right to carry out their duties at any place.
"Such crackdowns impinge on the media's right to report freely and interferes with our right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press as guaranteed by the Constitution of India," the joint statement read.
They said Punia has been reporting on the ongoing farmers' agitation right from the beginning and the arrest was "part of the government crackdown on journalists to prevent them from doing their job independently and freely".
Police had earlier said they placed barricades at the border following the violence on Friday to ensure that no one could get through.
However, some people, including the journalist, had tried to remove the barricades, the police alleged, adding the journalist also misbehaved with the police personnel there.
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