Two women journalists, reporting on the October 26 violence in Tripura, were detained by police in Assam’s Karimganj district on Sunday, hours after they were booked for alleged criminal conspiracy and spread of communal hatred by Tripura Police.
According to Kamalesh Singh, officer-in-charge in Karimganj, journalists Samriddhi K Sakunia and Swarna Jha, employed with a Delhi-based news channel HW News Network, were detained at Nilambazar around 2.30 pm following a request from Tripura Police. “We received a request from Tripura Police, on the basis of which we detained them as soon as they reached Assam.,” District superintendent of police Padmanabh Baruah said.
Later, a team of Tripura Police went there to bring them to the state, but the journos refused to go with them at night.
Earlier on Sunday, both Sakunia and Jha were booked by Tripura Police after one Kanchan Das accused them of delivering an “instigating speech” against the Hindu community and the Tripura government during their meeting with a few Muslim families at Palbazar in the state’s Unakoti district on November 13.
In his complaint, Das, a resident of Kumarghat, alleged: “Smt Samridhi Sakunia falsely imparted the name of VHP and Bajrang Dal behind the damage of Paul Bazar masjid by fire. The complainant alleged that being a part of criminal conspiracy and to destroy the communal harmony in Tripura as well as to malign the VHP organisation and Tripura govt, the account holder intentionally imparted the name of VHP in that incident which would effect the harmony in between Hindu and Muslim community.”
{{/usCountry}}In his complaint, Das, a resident of Kumarghat, alleged: “Smt Samridhi Sakunia falsely imparted the name of VHP and Bajrang Dal behind the damage of Paul Bazar masjid by fire. The complainant alleged that being a part of criminal conspiracy and to destroy the communal harmony in Tripura as well as to malign the VHP organisation and Tripura govt, the account holder intentionally imparted the name of VHP in that incident which would effect the harmony in between Hindu and Muslim community.”
{{/usCountry}}Following this, the duo were booked under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between two groups on ground of religion) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of Indian Penal Code. HT has seen a copy of the FIR.
The two were on their way to Silchar when they were detained in Karimganj, close to the Assam-Tripura border. A Tripura Police official said the journalists were not allowed to leave the state. “Instead of informing the police, they went towards Assam,” the official said, seeking anonymity.
Taking to Twitter earlier in the day, Sakunia alleged that a team of police was deployed outside the hotel in Unakoti district, where she and her colleague were staying, and the two were not allowed to leave the premises on Saturday. Condemning the detention of their employees, HW News Network alleged that the move was to prevent the journalists from performing their duty.