Gujarat police arrests E Editor and other staff of Divya Bhaskar
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- Media & Corporate communications
- Saturday, 14 January 2012 12:34
- Published Date
- Hits: 408
Gujarat Global News Network, Ahmedabad
Rajkot police arrested Executive Editor of Divya Bhaskar, Kana Batwa and two others for publishing photograph of Rajkot police Commissioner in a New Year party. They were released later on.
While the police have accused the newspaper of “manipulating” the news, the newspaper alleges it to be a case of framing false charges and blatant misuse of power by a public servant.
In this case, Divya Bhaskar, Gujarati newspaper of Bhaskar group, had published news about a New Year party in Rajkot city. It had also shown police Commissioner Geetha Johri and her husband.
While police commissioner is said to have make it a case of breach of her privacy while the newspaper argues that it was a public event and entry was by pass which were being sold openly. Photographs of a couple dancing in a bit provocative manner and the police Commissioner have been published in a manner that it has shades of obscenity, claims police.
The newspaper questioned the propriety of the presence of the police Commissioner in the party. Police had registered a case against the newspaper Executive Editor Kana Bantwa, reporter Aniruddh Nakum and Photographer Prakash Ravrani earlier this week and arrested them on Friday afternoon and produced them in the court in the evening.
DNA, a paper of the group has prominently published its reaction. It says that DNA strongly condemns the arrest of the EE and others. It points out that Police Commissioner Geetha Johari filed a complaint with the police headed by her.
It further says that despite the order of Sessions court to release them immediately after the arrest, the police blatantly violated the order. Such blatant misuse of government machinery by a public servant to silence a newspaper is not in the spirit of democracy and free press.
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