The journalist had allegedly taken to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to assert that a foreign media organization had been exerting influence on the Gurugram Police Commissioner, urging her to take action against Hindus concerning the communal clashes.
Mukesh Kumar, the resident editor of Sudarshan News, has been apprehended by Gurugram police due to his alleged inflammatory social media posts connected to the communal unrest in Nuh and neighbouring districts in Haryana. In response to Kumar's arrest, Sudarshan News, the television channel where he worked, initially claimed he was "abducted" by unidentified individuals, characterizing the incident as an assault on media independence.
The Gurugram Police confirmed that Kumar was taken into custody by the Cyber Crime division at the East Police Station. The Nuh communal turmoil, which emerged during a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession on July 31, resulted in the tragic deaths of six individuals. An FIR was filed against Kumar on August 9 under Sections 153B, 401, 469, and 505 (1) (C) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with Section 66-C of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Reportedly, Kumar took to Twitter to assert that a foreign media organization had been exerting influence on the Gurugram Police Commissioner, urging her to take action against Hindus concerning the communal clashes.
In a statement, the Gurugram Police dismissed Kumar's allegations on Friday, labelling them as unfounded, untrue, and deceptive. An FIR was lodged against the journalist at the Cyber Crime division of the East Police Station, as per the relevant provisions of the IT Act and other related sections, the police confirmed.
On August 8, Kumar's tweet read, "The @AJENews (Al Jazeera News Channel) has been making calls to the Gurgaon Police Commissioner and pressuring her to take action against Hindus. And after receiving the call, @DC_Gurugram comes under so much pressure she picks up Hindu activists from anywhere."
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Varun Dahiya announced on Friday that Kumar had been arrested and subsequently taken to a hospital for a medical examination.
Sudarshan News initially alleged that Kumar was "abducted" from Gurugram. The channel claimed he had ventured to Mewat to support "struggling" Hindu activists and was forcibly taken by "well-built individuals" from his car in Sector 17, Gurugram.
The channel later issued a statement, criticizing the Gurugram Police for taking seven hours to release a press note about the arrest.
Expressing their stance, Sudarshan News stated, "This arrest is entirely unlawful and unjust. Sudarshan News stands by Mukesh Kumar ji and perceives this arrest as an assault on media freedom," accompanied by the hashtag #ReleaseMukeshKumar.
