Arrest Of Journalist On Way To Hathras: Kerala Journalists Body Moves Habeas Petition In SC

The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has filed a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court against the arrest of Kerala journalist, Sidhique Kappan, by the UP Police while he was proceeding to cover the Hathras incident of rape and murder of a 19-year old Dalit woman.

Terming the arrest illegal and unconstitutional, the KUWJ has filed the petition seeking his immediate production before the SC and release from "illegal detention".

The petition contends that the arrest is made in violation of the mandatory guidelines laid down in the decision D K Basu vs State of West Bengal, and was made with the sole intention of obstructing the discharge of duty by a journalist.

The family members or the colleagues have not been informed of the arrest of Kappan, who also happens to be General Secretary of the KUWJ, the plea said. He is a contributor to online Malayalam news portal "Azhimukham".

As per reports, Kappan, along with three other journalists, Atiq-ur Rehman, Masood Ahmed and Alam, were detained by the UP police at Hathras toll plaza on October 5, alleging links to the Popular Front of India or PFI, an outfit the Yogi Adityanath government wants banned.

Their mobile phones, a laptop and some literature, "which could have an impact on peace, and law and order in the state", have been seized, said the police in a statement.

On September 11, a 19-year-old Dalit woman was abducted and then gangraped by four upper-caste men who then subjected her to brutal torture by breaking her bones and cutting off her tongue. She passed away on Tuesday, the 29th of September. Her family complained that she was cremated by police officials in the middle of the night without their consent.

As public outrage was mounting over the police action, widely perceived as an act to erase evidence, the UP police issued public statements denying rape, contradicting the dying declaration given by the girl. Upper-caste groups have started a counter-movement claiming the innocence of the accused persons.

On Monday, the UP Police registered an FIR against unknown persons for charges of sedition, promoting social disharmony etc., alleging that the protests over Hathras incident were part of an "international conspiracy" to malign the state.