E-Paper
Scribe arrested for false news, promoting enmity in Ambala
Apart from the reporter, Sunil, who works for Dainik Bhaskar, a Hindi daily, the Ambala Cantt police station also booked the newspaper’s zonal news editor, Sandeep Sharma
Police on Friday arrested a journalist of a vernacular newspaper on charges of furnishing false information and creating enmity in a report related to the arrest of a purported ISI-linked terrorist by the Punjab Police in Ambala.
Apart from the reporter, Sunil, who works for Dainik Bhaskar, a Hindi daily, the Ambala Cantt police station also booked the newspaper’s zonal news editor, Sandeep Sharma.
The complaint in this case was filed by sub-inspector (SI) Radheysham, in-charge, Parao police station, with regards to the report “Punjab Police claim terrorist arrested near IOC depot in Cantt, Ambala Police say we don’t have any information, were not asked for help”, published in the newspaper’s Ambala edition on Thursday.
In his statement, the SI said he received a call from Sunil on Wednesday night, informing him of a terrorist’s arrest by the Punjab Police near IOC depot in Parao area. “I told him that neither did I receive any intimation about the arrest nor any help was sought from my police station. Despite this, Sunil published the news without any verification,” he alleged.
The Ambala police claim that the arrest was not made from the said location. Therefore, the report created an environment of “panic and terror”.
While Ambala Range IG Bharti Arora and SSP Hamid Akhtar remained unavailable for a comment, inspector Vijay Kumar, station in-charge, Cantt police station, said, “The reporter was arrested and a search is on for the other person. The matter is under investigation.”
The FIR against the duo has been lodged under Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 177 (furnishing false information), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code.
Legal expert Rohit Jain said except Section 505 (2), all were bailable offences, adding that if proven guilty under the said section, the accused can be imprisoned up to three years.
Speaking on behalf of the publication, Mahesh Kumar, editor, Haryana, said, “The arrest of our journalist is alarming. The newspaper is seeking legal advice on the case.”
Journalists and politicians, including Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja, state Congress treasurer Rohit Jain, HDF general secretary Chitra Sarwara, INLD’s national vice-president Prakash Bharti, former Ambala Sadar deputy mayor Sudhir Jaiswal and several former councillors, condemned the arrest.
Selja wrote on Twitter, “….to protect fair journalism, it is necessary that this matter should be investigated impartially and any police action should be taken only after thorough observation of the facts.”
