Detained for covering beef protest
The Foundation for Media Professionals condemns the unlawful detention of a journalist at Parliament Street Police Station ("'Law won't protect sinners like you': Scroll.in reporter covering beef protest held for seven hours").
At noon on October 4, Mr Mayank Jain, a reporter with Scroll.in, had gone to Patel Chowk metro station to cover an agitation by a bunch of college students. The Delhi Police, who were searching the passengers and their tiffin boxes in particular, frisked Mr Jain.
The Parliament Street station house officer, Mr Dinesh Kumar, who was leading the search operation, threatened Mr Jain and warned him against joining an agitation which was to be held in front of the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters on Ashoka Road. The protest was against the September 28 murder of a man by his neighbours in Dadri on the suspicion that he had killed a calf and stored the meat in his refrigerator. Mr Kumar warned Mr Jain, “Unse mat milo, kaat ke fenk dunga (Don’t join them. I will cut you into pieces and throw them away)."
Mr Jain continued his assignment and walked towards the BJP office. On the way, when he was chatting with a few students at Ashoka Road, he was picked up by the police. Despite telling them that he was a journalist, not a protester, who had come to cover the "beef-eating party", they took him to Parliament Street police station and detained him for seven hours. They did not allow him to contact his family or a lawyer. His visiting card was torn and his press card twisted and damaged.
He was given lessons in morality. Mr Kumar, according to Mr Jain, said: “Is this what your parents teach you? That you go out and eat beef?” A constable reprimanding Jain told him: “The law can protect criminals but it won’t protect sinners like you.” Mr Kumar forgot that he was an officer of the state and was clearly acting in an unprofessional manner. “Today’s kids are throwing Hinduism into a gutter," he said.
The Foundation for Media Professionals condemns the high-handed action of the Parliament Street station house officer. We consider his action as a blatant attempt to muzzle the press and interfere in its free and independent functioning. The detention of Mr Jain was illegal and arbitrary.
We demand stringent action against the station house officer and others involved in the incident. The SHO and his fellow officers overstepped their authority by harassing, abusing and detaining Mr Jain. We demand that the concerned authority ensure that such incidents do not occur again in the future.
We have written letters to the Union ministers for home and information & broadcasting to take appropriate action against those involved. – S Srinivasan, Vipul Mudgal, Vivan Fernandes, Aniruddha Bahal, members of Foundation for Media Professionals governing council
***
Thank you for writing fearlessly about your ordeal. The citizens of this country should be ashamed. We are silent spectators to the ruthlessness of those who are supposed to protect us. When and how are we ever going to correct this situation?
It was painful to read what you went through. If a journalist was not spared, I can only imagine to what extent the common man is being muzzled. Stay fearless. – Chirag
***
I am shocked and upset that this actually happened. How can our country be like this? We need to do something against the wrongful acts of our government and officials. I think we have to protest in a way that ensures peace prevails among all religions.
Every citizen of this country should know what is happening around them and one of our main concerns should be creating awareness in the right way and making sure that every citizen acts wisely. – Sagar Yousuf
***
Be it in the institutional or in the public sphere, the sentiments of police personnel and others who form the backbone of state structure miserably fail to understand the overarching meaning of the protests. Perhaps that is the reason why state forces are cracking down on protesters.
When this government came into power, I was skeptical that along with extremely authoritarian moves to create monopoly of culture, the state machinery would also turn out to be totalitarian, giving us glimpses of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. It appears as though the mere possession of beef will justify the atrocious killing of people.
What remains vague is the politicisation of beef. The government is too reluctant to admit that it is a communal issue specifically targeted at Muslims by the "protectors of Dharma". – Devansh
***
Many of us patriotic Indians are appalled at what is happening in our country. The abuse of power by government functionaries must stop immediately. How can innocent civilians be detained indefinitely and denied the right to a phone call or even any clarity about why they were being held against their will?
This "moral" policing has gone too far. We are all throwing our hands up in disgust and despair but feel powerless to change things. We cannot afford to continue to keep our heads down hoping that "this too shall pass" and that we as individuals shall be spared.
The events of the last few weeks have awoken the dormant activist in me. It's time to mobilise the fight against this menace. We need to somehow come together and turn our individual cries into a collective roar that will force a change. – Anita Sinai Guha
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letters@scroll.in.
The Foundation for Media Professionals condemns the unlawful detention of a journalist at Parliament Street Police Station ("'Law won't protect sinners like you': Scroll.in reporter covering beef protest held for seven hours").
At noon on October 4, Mr Mayank Jain, a reporter with Scroll.in, had gone to Patel Chowk metro station to cover an agitation by a bunch of college students. The Delhi Police, who were searching the passengers and their tiffin boxes in particular, frisked Mr Jain.
The Parliament Street station house officer, Mr Dinesh Kumar, who was leading the search operation, threatened Mr Jain and warned him against joining an agitation which was to be held in front of the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters on Ashoka Road. The protest was against the September 28 murder of a man by his neighbours in Dadri on the suspicion that he had killed a calf and stored the meat in his refrigerator. Mr Kumar warned Mr Jain, “Unse mat milo, kaat ke fenk dunga (Don’t join them. I will cut you into pieces and throw them away)."
Mr Jain continued his assignment and walked towards the BJP office. On the way, when he was chatting with a few students at Ashoka Road, he was picked up by the police. Despite telling them that he was a journalist, not a protester, who had come to cover the "beef-eating party", they took him to Parliament Street police station and detained him for seven hours. They did not allow him to contact his family or a lawyer. His visiting card was torn and his press card twisted and damaged.
He was given lessons in morality. Mr Kumar, according to Mr Jain, said: “Is this what your parents teach you? That you go out and eat beef?” A constable reprimanding Jain told him: “The law can protect criminals but it won’t protect sinners like you.” Mr Kumar forgot that he was an officer of the state and was clearly acting in an unprofessional manner. “Today’s kids are throwing Hinduism into a gutter," he said.
The Foundation for Media Professionals condemns the high-handed action of the Parliament Street station house officer. We consider his action as a blatant attempt to muzzle the press and interfere in its free and independent functioning. The detention of Mr Jain was illegal and arbitrary.
We demand stringent action against the station house officer and others involved in the incident. The SHO and his fellow officers overstepped their authority by harassing, abusing and detaining Mr Jain. We demand that the concerned authority ensure that such incidents do not occur again in the future.
We have written letters to the Union ministers for home and information & broadcasting to take appropriate action against those involved. – S Srinivasan, Vipul Mudgal, Vivan Fernandes, Aniruddha Bahal, members of Foundation for Media Professionals governing council
***
Thank you for writing fearlessly about your ordeal. The citizens of this country should be ashamed. We are silent spectators to the ruthlessness of those who are supposed to protect us. When and how are we ever going to correct this situation?
It was painful to read what you went through. If a journalist was not spared, I can only imagine to what extent the common man is being muzzled. Stay fearless. – Chirag
***
I am shocked and upset that this actually happened. How can our country be like this? We need to do something against the wrongful acts of our government and officials. I think we have to protest in a way that ensures peace prevails among all religions.
Every citizen of this country should know what is happening around them and one of our main concerns should be creating awareness in the right way and making sure that every citizen acts wisely. – Sagar Yousuf
***
Be it in the institutional or in the public sphere, the sentiments of police personnel and others who form the backbone of state structure miserably fail to understand the overarching meaning of the protests. Perhaps that is the reason why state forces are cracking down on protesters.
When this government came into power, I was skeptical that along with extremely authoritarian moves to create monopoly of culture, the state machinery would also turn out to be totalitarian, giving us glimpses of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. It appears as though the mere possession of beef will justify the atrocious killing of people.
What remains vague is the politicisation of beef. The government is too reluctant to admit that it is a communal issue specifically targeted at Muslims by the "protectors of Dharma". – Devansh
***
What you are describing 21st century India. Such an incident should not take place in any civilised democracy in the world. – Priya Ghosh
***
Many of us patriotic Indians are appalled at what is happening in our country. The abuse of power by government functionaries must stop immediately. How can innocent civilians be detained indefinitely and denied the right to a phone call or even any clarity about why they were being held against their will?
This "moral" policing has gone too far. We are all throwing our hands up in disgust and despair but feel powerless to change things. We cannot afford to continue to keep our heads down hoping that "this too shall pass" and that we as individuals shall be spared.
The events of the last few weeks have awoken the dormant activist in me. It's time to mobilise the fight against this menace. We need to somehow come together and turn our individual cries into a collective roar that will force a change. – Anita Sinai Guha
***
It is brave voices like yours that give us hope. Thank you for sharing your ordeal. – Anya