Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, while talking to The Muknayak, said that after this incident, he has written a letter to the Director General of Police of the state and demanded a fair investigation.
Bhopal. An incident that shakes the soul of journalism and democracy has come to light in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. About eight journalists of the district were beaten up badly by policemen in the SP office. Among them, two journalists – Shashikant Goyal and Amarkant Chauhan – were beaten up by the policemen only because they used to write against the corruption of the police administration. One of these journalists, Shashikant Goyal, comes from the Dalit community, and he has alleged that he was beaten with chappals after asking his name and caste. All this happened in the presence of Superintendent of Police (SP) Dr. Asit Yadav.
“What is the name?” – and then the beating with chappals started
Shashikant Goyal told that he was called to SP Asit Yadav’s office on May 1. On reaching there, SI Girish Sharma and Satyabir Singh asked him his name. As soon as he told his name as Shashikant Goyal Jatav, both the policemen started hitting him on the cheeks with slippers. Shashikant said, “I asked Sir, why are you hitting me, what is my fault? To which he replied – you have started writing a lot against the police.
He also told that he was forcibly asked to say “ji sir”. When he questioned what is the difference between “sir ji” and “ji sir”, he was beaten again in front of the SP and abused with casteist slurs.
“Called for tea, and then beaten” – Amarkant Chauhan’s personal experience
Journalist Amarkant Chauhan told The Mooknayak that he too had received a call from the SP office on the evening of 1 May. It was said on the phone that they have to have a “chai pe charcha”. He reached the SP office at around 5 pm, here his phone was snatched first. And then he was kicked from behind and then the policemen started beating him badly.
“I had fallen down, but SP sahab was standing and watching everything. No one stopped me. I was abused and told to run away from here, you are acting like a journalist,” Amarkant said.
Police reached his house at night, pressurized him to delete the video
Amarkant said that police reached his house at around 10 pm. The policemen threatened him that the video he had made after the fight was fake and he should delete it. He was told that no incident had taken place. And the police also made a video by pressurizing him.
Amarkant said, “We started feeling that our lives were in danger. So at 12 midnight we caught a truck and reached Gwalior and from there left for Bhopal by train.”
Meeting with senior officials in Bhopal, demand for action
After reaching Bhopal, the victim journalists, along with Royal Press Club President Pankaj Bhadoria and Joint Secretary Ankit Pachauri, submitted a memorandum to the Director General of Police (DGP) and met Intelligence ADG A. Sai Manohar.
The journalists explained the entire incident in detail and demanded that Superintendent of Police Asit Yadav, SI Girish Sharma and Satyabir Singh be removed from their posts immediately and strict legal action be taken against them.
The Intelligence ADG assured the journalists that a high-level investigation will be conducted into the matter and the culprits will not be spared. He said, “The freedom and safety of journalists is paramount and the department will work seriously on it.”
Protest by journalist organizations, called it an attack on democracy
Royal Press Club President Pankaj Bhadoria strongly condemned the incident and said, “This is not just an attack on two journalists, it is a direct attack on the fourth pillar of democracy. If the police itself will suppress the voice of those who ask questions, then where will the society go? “
He demanded that –
SP Asit Yadav should be suspended immediately,
FIR should be registered against SI Girish Sharma and Satyabir Singh and they should be arrested,
Victim journalists should be given security.
Congress called it murder of democracy
Congress state president Jeetu Patwari has strongly reacted to the brutality with the journalists of Bhind. He said that this incident is not just an attack on journalists, but a direct murder of democracy. He alleged that the police is working under the pressure of the government and unbiased journalism is being crushed. Jeetu Patwari said that Congress will fight against this incident from the road to the House.
Leader of Opposition wrote a letter to the DGP
Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, while talking to The Mooknayak, said that after this incident, he has written a letter to the Director General of Police of the state and demanded a fair investigation. Umang Singhar said that he will raise this issue strongly in the assembly. He clearly said, “Attack on journalists will not be tolerated under any circumstances. This is an attack on the foundation of democracy, which we will never accept.”
SP called the allegations baseless
Reacting to the allegations of assault on journalists, Bhind Superintendent of Police Asit Yadav said in a conversation with The Mooknayak that no such incident has taken place. He said, “Those who are making allegations have already filed a complaint in this matter and withdrawn it. Not only this, they themselves had also made a video saying that no assault took place. Now why are they going to Bhopal and making such allegations, it is beyond comprehension. All the allegations are completely baseless.”
Is this incident not a crime under the SC/ST Act?
Since the victim journalist Shashikant Goyal belongs to the Dalit community, and he was assaulted and abused after being asked about his caste, the incident is clearly an offence under the Scheduled Castes/Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The journalists are not disheartened
Although the victim journalists are scared, Shashikant and Amarkant said that they will not stop raising their voice. “If we remain silent, this series will not stop. We will fight the legal battle and will also keep writing the truth,”
The beating of a Dalit journalist in front of the SP in Bhind after asking his caste has raised serious questions on the role of the police. The victim journalist alleges that the policemen on duty not only abused him with casteist slurs, but also beat him brutally after knowing his identity. This incident not only raises questions on law and order, but it is also a matter of investigation whether action will be taken against the accused policemen and responsible officers under the SC-ST Atrocities Prevention Act in this case?
Courtesy : Ankit Pachauri, Hindi News