Muslim man attacked, Indian police charge journalists for tweets | Freedom of the Press News

Several media outlets have condemned the state police in northern Uttar Pradesh for filing cases against journalists and filing a news portal earlier this month for tweets and reports about the attack on elderly Muslims.

In separate statements, media outlets called for the immediate withdrawal of the first information report (FIR) against three journalists – Rana Ayyub, Saba Naqvi and Zubair Ahmed – and against The Wire news website.

Police on Thursday also called on India’s top authority on Twitter to respond to allegations that it did not stop a video of the attack from going viral, accusing the social media company of spreading “hate and hostility”.

Three members of the opposition Congress party – all Muslims – have also been booked for tweets about what happened.

What happened in Ghaziabad?

On June 5, Abdul Samad Saifi, a 72-year-old resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh (a suburb of New Delhi), was allegedly offered a ride on an autorickshaw, taken to an isolated place and allegedly beaten on a cradle for hours.

The men allegedly forced Jai Shri Ram (hail Lord Ram) and Vande Mataram (I praise you, Mother) to sing, which is gathering calls from far-right Hindu groups enjoying the support of the government’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). and they are often considered the Muslim minority in India.

In a two-minute video clip posted on social media, men can also be seen cutting the elderly man’s beard with scissors.

At the FIR, Ghaziabad Police said the attack on Samad was a matter of people and beaten the accused for giving them taveez (amulet).

However, Samad’s son Babloo Saifi has denied both of these claims. | @IsmatAraa reports @thewire_in pic.twitter.com/OpbAmNhTi8

– The Wire (@thewire_in) June 16, 2021

Police in Uttar Pradesh denied it out of hatred for the religious attack, saying Saifik was beaten because the man sold an amulet that did not work.

Saifi’s family has opposed the police request and says it was a hate attack.

A police officer in Ghaziabad, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al Jazeera on Friday that nine people, including some Muslims, had been arrested so far that police were looking for two other suspects.

In their report, police also said that Naqvi, Ayyub and Zubair posted a video of what happened on Twitter handles “without verifying and questioning its veracity.”

Police said the reporters “gave the video a common angle” and “intended to ignite community hatred between religious communities and seek to disrupt public order.”

It appears that Ghaziabad is investigating the case of an elderly Muslim Muslim man and has submitted another version. The comment on Twitter was based on a newspaper report. I will wait until the investigation is complete before making any further comments.

– Saba Naqvi (@_sabanaqvi) June 16, 2021

In response, Ayyube, Naqvi and Zubair, in separate tweets, said statements about the incident were based on a viral video and news presented by various newspapers.

Naqvi said police in Ghaziabad had “submitted another version” and would “wait until the investigation is completed before further comment.”

In the same vein, Ayyub said he will wait for “the truth to prevail”.

‘Use of laws to criminalize accusation’

But anti-journalist police (all Muslims) have angered press bodies around the world, demanding that the FIR withdraw immediately against them.

In a statement on Thursday, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) said that it “condemns the Uttar Pradesh government for filing FIR against The Wire and several journalists for tweets in the June 5 attack.”

The EGI said the police case against the journalists was “an involuntary use of laws to prosecute independent media for reporting and disagreeing”.

“The brotherhood is very concerned with the UP [Uttar Pradesh] Police have a history of filing FIRs against journalists without fear of reprisals for preventing them from reporting serious incidents, ”he said.

1/2 The tweets I had previously distributed about the attack on Abdul were based on a video and were based on several news stories, published by the print and electronic media, which were already widely circulated on Indian Express. They were claiming the matter when they saw the police

– Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) June 16, 2021

The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent non-profit organization that promotes press freedom around the world, said in a statement on Thursday that Uttar Pradesh police should “immediately report” and stop “harassing” journalists and news outlets.

“Indian authorities select journalists, some of whom are known for their critical coverage of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party, for sharing and commenting on a video that seems to be selective law enforcement and a serious attack on press freedom,” Steven Butler said. CPJ Asia Program Coordinator.

The International Press Institute (IPI) – a global network of editors, journalists and media executives defending freedom of the press – called for the withdrawal of the FIR, saying “covering and sharing news information is not a crime.”

The International Women’s Media Foundation said journalists “should be able to do their job without fear of revenge from the authorities”.

Journalists Without Borders (RSF), another non-profit organization around the world seeking to safeguard the right to freedom of information, called on police in Uttar Pradesh to immediately withdraw the “nonsensical” charges they brought, including “criminal conspiracy”. for tweeting about the video against three journalists.

#India ????????: @RSF_inter that requires it @ghaziabadpolice withdraw nonsensical criminal charges against him @AltNews co-founder @zoo_bear, @washingtonpost columnist @RanaAyyub, Writer @_sabanaqvi and the news website @thewire_in. This harassment must end immediately!https://t.co/GO9OjgQL5G

– RSF (@RSF_inter) June 17, 2021

RSF said in its investigation that each accused journalist could face a combined sentence of nine years and six months in prison.

“The allegation made by the Uttar Pradesh police is not entirely based on the tangible element and it is clear that it is judicial harassment,” said Daniel Bastard, head of the Asia-Pacific panel at RSF.

“We urge Uttar Pradesh Minister Yogi Adityanathi to restore the appearance of credibility by ordering the immediate withdrawal of the charges against the journalists appointed in this absurd First Information Report.”

The Digipub News India Foundation – an association of more than 60 independent digital publications – urged police in Uttar Pradesh to “immediately withdraw the case and fear retaliation for news publications to do their job”.

“The consequences of this case go beyond what has been reported here: Uttar Pradesh police threaten to denounce the voices of crime victims. It is trying to create an atmosphere where all journalists and news organizations will move away from reporting anything that is not the official version,” he says on Digipub notes.

‘Journalism will become impossible’

I deleted the posted videos. It seems that at the moment the victim’s version seems to be forced to sing “Jai Shri Ram”, which is not added based on interviews with police authorities and other journalists who have reported on the matter. https://t.co/cof5bjv3I4

– Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) June 15, 2021

Pratik Sinha, one of the founders of the Alt News fact-checking website – businessman Zubair – said his colleague was “targeting” him for reporting the victim’s version of the Ghaziabad case.

“Social media agents” are witnessing the impact of the trend that distinguishes Zubair. The Alt News team is with Zubair, “he posted.

According to a report released by RSF in April, India ranks 142th in the World Press Freedom Index. He finished 133rd in 2016 – a reflection of the South Asian nation that is constantly slipping down the rankings.

The RSF report counted India among the nations classified as “bad” for journalism and named it as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.

Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding editor of The Wire, told Al Jazeera that the case against his portal was “an attempt to prevent journalists and journalists from doing their job.”

“If you’re turning it into a crime to report what the victim of a crime said about what happened, that means you want the media to say what the police said or what the official version is and take all the other versions only. If you report it, you risk being prosecuted,” he said.

“If this view is supported, journalism will be impossible in India.”