Asianet News office 'searched': Directions came from Kerala CM's office, cops ignored order to seize computers
Asianet News has learnt that the Kozhikode City Police bypassed the legal procedures and conducted an inspection at the channel's regional office due to the intense pressure from the higher-ups of the Home department.
FollowThere was high-level political pressure behind the police 'search' of the Asianet News Kozhikode office on Sunday. Asianet News has learnt that the Kozhikode City Police bypassed the legal procedures and conducted an inspection at the channel's regional office due to the intense pressure from the higher-ups of the Home department.
The Kozhikode police received an instruction in this regard, including that they should go to the Asianet News office and seize the computers. But when the officers of Kozhikode City Police were not ready to follow the high-level instructions, the move to seize the computers was avoided.
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The unheard-of lightning inspection was conducted at the Asianet News regional office on Sunday. The police reached the Asianet News office barely 24 hours after a complaint filed by Communist Party of India (Marxist)-backed MLA PV Anwar was received by the DGP, and the police registered the complaint in Vella, Kozhikode.
Normally, anyone can file a complaint if there is a violation of the law at a place. But if an FIR is filed in such a complaint (allegations of misleading reportage), there are steps that the police should take in this regard. The first step is to record the complainant's statement, but that has not happened here. MLA PV Anwar is not directly related to the anti-drug campaign run by Asianet News in November 2022 or the case mentioned in it.
After the complainant's statement is taken and a preliminary investigation is conducted, the police usually proceeds to the next step. But the police came to the Asianet news office without even taking Anwar's statement.
The information coming through now is that the police came to inspect the Asianet News office after the discussions at Kozhikode Commissioner's office that continued from Saturday night to Sunday morning.
To note, Anwar's complaint was regarding an Asianet News programme broadcast on November 10, 2022, as part of its 'Narcotics is a dirty business' series. The complaint claimed that the interview of a 14-year-old girl in the said programme was fake. However, city police officials pointed out that although Anwar is alleging a POCSO case, neither the child victim nor the family has any complaint, and they are standing with the news report.
The officials also informed the commissioner that the statement of the complainant PV Anwar, was not taken, and even the preliminary examination had not been conducted. Kozhikode police officials asked the officials how they could enter the office of a media organization without even taking preliminary steps.
However, sources revealed that there was strict instruction from the chief minister's office to check the Asianet News office as soon as possible. There was a demand from the head office to seize the computers from the office. With this, the commissioner instructed the subordinate officers to conduct an inspection at the Asianet News regional office and the police officers reached the Asianet News office at 10:30 on Sunday morning.
The policemen collected preliminary information from the journalists and employees of the office but ignored the high command's directive to seize the computers. After spending about four hours in the office, the officials returned, stating that they would call a press conference and make a statement.
Meanwhile, Opposition United Democratic Front Secretary Johnny Nellore termed the police inspection at Asianet News Office in Kozhikode as a fascist act. National leaders of BJP and Congress condemned the SFI attack on the Asianet News Kochi office on Friday. BJP Kerala in charge and former Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that barging into a media office and terrorising journalists was not the way to express disagreements. Violence against media freedom cannot be tolerated, Javadekar added.
Terrorising media, attacking its freedom cannot be tolerated: BJP slams attack on Asianet News
