A Delhi-based journalist was on Tuesday reportedly questioned by the police for his report claiming that the AYUSH – Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy – Ministry did not hire any Muslims as trainers for a short-term foreign assignment in keeping with "government policy". Journalist Pushp Sharma of The Milli Gazette, where the story was first published, was questioned at a police station in South Delhi after an AYUSH ministry official filed a complaint against him, reported PTI. A senior police officer said that Sharma had earlier been arrested in 2009 for extorting government officials by threatening sting operations on them. There were also allegations that Sharma tried to extort police officers, the report said.

Sharma's report on the AYUSH Ministry was based on an RTI application, which is supposed to have revealed that 711 Muslim yoga trainers had applied for a short-term assignment abroad, but none were called for an interview or hired. However, the ministry denied the report, saying the RTI query was fabricated and misinterpreted. In a statement, the ministry condemned the media reports calling the revelation an attempt "to cause chasm between different sections of the society and promoting disharmony and mistrust with ulterior motives".

The Milli Gazette said on its Facebook page that Sharma had been "arrested in Delhi" on Tuesday and released later the same day, adding that he has been asked to report to the police station again on Wednesday morning. Sharma released a statement following his temporary release, in which he said, "My stand is the same now after this ordeal at the hands of the Delhi Police. I got many papers from the Ayush Ministry which any journalist will use if he gets such stuff which is harmful to the interests of the social and secular fabric of the country."