The Chandigarh Press Club has on Saturday condemned the arrest of a TV news journalist Bhawna Kumari in Ludhiana.
Bhawana, along with two others, was arrested during the inauguration of Aam Aadmi Clinics in Ludhiana on Friday on the charge of hitting a woman with a speeding car, resulting in injury on her right hand and also using derogatory language.
In a statement on behalf of the Club’s Governing Council, Chandigarh Press Club president Saurabh Duggal said the journalist was on a professional duty to cover the inauguration of the clinics by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal when she was arrested, by a male police officer.
“No woman police officer was seen there. For hours her family was not informed. Her colleagues tried to contact but to no avail,” he said.
In a press release issued yesterday evening, it was confirmed that Commissionerate Police Ludhiana on Friday arrested three persons for hitting a woman with a speeding car, resulting in injury on her right hand and also using derogatory language. The three arrested were Bhawna Kumari, Mrityunjay Kumar and their driver Parminder Singh.
As per the press release, the said persons used derogatory language against the caste of the complainant due to which The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was slapped against them.
“Now, this Press release in itself raises questions. If a person is hit by a car, under which law the passengers have been booked? How would one know the caste of the complainant to use derogatory language against their caste? Who among the three used such language to be specific,” Duggal asked.
“It is a blatant attack on the freedom of Press and the Chandigarh Press Club condemns the action of the Punjab Police and is taking up the matter with Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, so that guilty official could be brought to the book and directions to be issued so that no such incidence to take place in future,” he added.
Duggal had complained earlier too that there has been an attack on the freedom of press and the authorities were involved in ‘arbitrary suspension’ of social media accounts of several Punjab-based journalists and media organisations.
Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit reportedly spoke to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today to express concern over the arrest of journalist Bhawna Kumari who .
The TV channel alleged their journalist has been arrested as revenge for the news they carried on the renovation of the house of Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The AAP government, however, maintains the case was registered against the journalist for making casteist remarks against a woman.