Tripura Police arrest 2 journalists Swarna Jha and Samriddhi Sakunia for reporting communal violence in the state.
Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha were detained in Assam’s Karimganj district and then handed over to the Tripura Police.
The two journalists who were covering the recent anti-Muslim violence in Tripura were taken into police custody on Sunday and were booked on charges of “spreading communal disharmony” and this move has sparked widespread condemnation from press organizations. Activists have questioned the legality of their detention.
On Sunday morning, the Tripura Police had filed a first information report against Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha, who work for the news channel HW News, based on a complaint by a person named Kanchan Das. He had alleged that Sakunia and Jha made an “instigating speech” against the Hindu community and the Tripura government while visiting people from the Muslim community in the Unakoti district’s Paul Bazaar area.
In tweets posted in the morning, Sakunia and Jha alleged that they were being held captive in a hotel in the Dharmanagar sub-division of the North Tripura district. They eventually succeeded in leaving Tripura in the afternoon, but the police of neighboring Assam detained them in the Karimganj district and handed them over to the Tripura Police.
FIR? in #Tripura@Jha_Swarnaa and I, the correspondent at @hwnewsnetwork have been booked under 3 sections of IPC at the Fatikroy police station, Tripura.
VHP filed complaint against me and @Jha_Swarnaa FIR has been filed under the section: 120(B), 153(A)/ 504.
Copy of FIR pic.twitter.com/a8XGC2Wjc5
— Samriddhi K Sakunia (@Samriddhi0809) November 14, 2021
I will be putting out a statement soon iterating all the intimidation I had to face while covering the #Tripura story soon. Meanwhile, we are seeking legal remedy.
Ps. We aren't allowed to move outside from our hotel.
— Samriddhi K Sakunia (@Samriddhi0809) November 14, 2021
The police arrived yesterday at the hotel around 10:30 at night and served the FIR copy in the morning 5:30am. We were supposed to leave for the capital Agartala but have been not allowed to move despite full cooperation. There are around 16-17 police deployed outside our hotel.
— Samriddhi K Sakunia (@Samriddhi0809) November 14, 2021
In a video statement issued on Sunday morning, Sakunia said that they were served a copy of the first information report on Sunday morning and more than 15 policemen were deployed outside the hotel where they were staying.
The police also took Aadhaar and transport details of the two journalists, Sakunia said.
Tension has been prevailing in Tripura after a mosque and several shops were attacked in the Panisagar sub-division during a Vishwa Hindu Parishad rally on October 26. The Hindutva outfit was protesting about the attacks on Hindus in the neighboring country Bangladesh.
We have been detained at the Nilambazar police station, Karimganj, Assam. We were informed by the officer in-charge of Nilambazar PS that SP of Gomti District gave the orders for our detention.
Official statement by @hwnewsnetwork . @Jha_Swarnaa pic.twitter.com/l3JPKUq7kw— Samriddhi K Sakunia (@Samriddhi0809) November 14, 2021
#TripuraRiots | A case registered against two journalists reporting on alleged religious #vandalism in #Tripura under sections relating to spreading communal disharmony and criminal conspiracy. pic.twitter.com/xUoznW2srL
— editorji (@editorji) November 14, 2021
#StandWithSamriddhi_Swarna https://t.co/a6cntnhr1E
— Faisal Nadeem (@FaisalNadeemAMU) November 14, 2021
In a complaint against the journalists, Kanchan Das said that Sakunia and Jha had blamed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal for burning a mosque in the Paul Bazaar area.
The complainant alleged that the journalists were a part of the criminal conspiracy to damage the communal harmony of Tripura and malign the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Tripura government.
Meanwhile, in its statement on Sunday afternoon, HW News said that the police do not have a case against its journalists.
The statement said that section 46 of the Code of Criminal Procedure does not allow women to be arrested after sunset or before sunrise without the order of the magistrate. It said that this procedure was not followed by the police.
It cited Assam police saying that the two journalists will be taken back to Tripura for questioning. The statement said this was done despite police earlier allowing them to leave the hotel in Tripura where they were staying. The police had also given the journalists seven days to record their statements.
Reportedly, Congress is giving all the legal help:
Update: I have been told by my volunteers, authorities as well as this has been confirmed by @ShyamMeeraSingh that @Samriddhi0809 and Swarna Jha are being taken to a shelter home for the night. We are all trying and coordinating. https://t.co/VUtDMz2z5m
— Tehseen Poonawalla Official ?? (@tehseenp) November 14, 2021
Sakunia and Jha were arrested for doing their job as journalists, reporting the riots which were fiery and vehement and why is the state government of Tripura so afraid that the truth will come out? Isn’t reporting far better because it prevents worse things from happening and brings awareness? The claim by the government that they were spreading malicious news simply by reporting events seems like a move to swipe journalism away unless it only reports pretty news.
Mr. Home Minister @AmitShah
“Tripura is Burning” #Tripura_Is_Burning pic.twitter.com/kSGgATiqec
— Shyam Meera Singh (@ShyamMeeraSingh) November 7, 2021
Yes ! Tripura is Burning #TripuraIsBurning https://t.co/vQlOWfQgge
— Bikram Jit Singh???????????? (@BikramJ82775887) November 7, 2021
Tripura police is misleading and threatening those who posted related to Tripura violence on social media. @Tripura_Police it is not telling that how many rioters were arrested for doing violence? #TripuraRiots pic.twitter.com/bgnXkZrdFq
— Tabrez Alam (@A66500137Alam) November 4, 2021
Please pray for Tripura?#TripuraRiots pic.twitter.com/Y3Df5XrRM5
— Azhan Ansari (@journalistazhan) October 28, 2021