Varanasi police lodged an FIR against six journalists on the allegations of spreading misinformation and inciting unrest through social media messages, officials said on Friday. The complaint, filed at Lanka police station, states that the journalists showed a video of a statue being cleaned and utilised it to arouse communal feelings. The act has set a political storm raging, with the Congress deeming it to be an assault on the freedom of the media.
Two workers of the Public Works Department (PWD) were cleaning the statue of Bharat Ratna Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya near the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) gate on the evening of June 25, says Lanka Station House Officer (SHO) Shivakant Mishra.
Mishra stated that a video documenting the sanitising process was posted online by some reporters, which they allegedly captioned with caste-based remarks to incite hatred and cause law and order issues.
The FIR was lodged on a complaint made by the in-charge of Sankat Mochan police outpost. The accused are Arshad (admin of 'Khabar Banaras'), Abhishek Jha, Abhishek Tripathi, Sonu Singh, Shailesh and an X (ex-Twitter) user Nitin Rai. They have been charged under Sections 356(3) (publishing defamatory content), 196(1) (encouraging hatred between groups) and Section 67 of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act.
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The journalists have protested innocence, claiming that their role is to bring developments, both positive and negative, to the notice of the administration. "If something goes wrong in the city, we will report it," a journalist who was accused said.
Ajay Rai, the Uttar Pradesh Congress president, responded sharply and released a statement where he has denounced the FIR.
Terming the action as cowardly, Rai further stated, "This government can't bear a mirror to be shown on its face. That is why it is punishing people who tell the truth. But the Congress won't bear the embarrassment of journalists."
Former journalist and BJP MLC Dharmendra Singh said: "Journalism is a delicate profession. Journalists should retain their dignity and avoid rushing to report. But if the rights of the journalists are involved, I would support them."
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