Harassment – Journalists

On January 5 2010, two independent journalists from Mumbai, Priyanka Borpujari and Satyen Bordoloi , a documentary film-maker, Nishtha Jain and a law student and RTI activist from Hyderabad, Suresh Deepala, were charged with dacoity after a clash with local journalists in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh.  The group had been visiting the Vanvasi Chetna Ashram to document and report on a ‘jan sunwai’ (public hearing) organised to record the testimonies of adivasis on their problems.

The group alleged that their cameras were snatched by police and security forces while they were detained for a few hours. Nishtha Jain was escorted to Raipur by security forces while the other three, who were also ‘asked’ to leave, opted to stay put. Their cameras were subsequently returned to them but all the photographs and video recordings they had made were deleted.

The Superintendent of Police, Dantewada district, Amresh Mishra, told news agencies that a case of dacoity under Sec 395 of the IPC was lodged against the group, based on a complaint made by local journalists. The latter allegedly complained to the police that the group had used vulgar language and accused local journalists of adopting a pro-police and pro-government stance in their reportage of the ongoing conflict in the area. They even snatched the cameras of local journalists, it was alleged, and hence they had been charged with dacoity!

Mishra disclosed that members of the group had also filed a counter-complaint against local journalists alleging that they had snatched cameras and mobile phones but police have not registered this, merely inquiring into the complaint.