Journalist Arrested on the Way to Hathras
4 journalists en route to Hathras to report the rape and murder of the 19-year-old Dalit girl, have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
A Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan and three others were on their way to Hathras to report on the rape and murder of the Dalit woman. The Uttar Pradesh Police stopped their vehicle at a toll plaza in Mathura. When the police searched their vehicle they said they found many suspicious materials. The police recovered pamphlets saying 'I am not India's daughter' and 'Justice for Hathras Victim'. The UP police said these pamphlets “could have an impact on peace, and law and order in the state."
The four men have been arrested under the anti-terror and sedition law. The police also said that the journalists also had links to the Popular Front of India (PFI). It is an extremist Islamic organization that has been involved in anti-national and anti-social activities.
The UP Police has been criticized for the mishandling of the Hathras Rape. The UP Police are now saying that there is a conspiracy in the rape case to stir caste-based violence.
The Press Club of India has also demanded that Kappan should be "released without delay." stating that the journalists are only their job. Siddique Kappan is also the Secretary of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists' (KUWJ) Delhi unit. The KUWJ's Delhi unit had earlier written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to release Kappan.
