Tripura violence case: Top cop says behaviour of women journalists led to doubt and arrest
Following the furors over two Delhi based women journalists Samriddhi K Sakunia and Swarna Jha's arrest in connection to creating disharmony with their reporting on clashes in Tripura, the IG of Law and Order Arindham Nath said that the woman duo with some purpose have doctored it (report of burning Masjid and 'Quran'). The police raised an alert as the duo failed to appear before the Agartala Police as promised and fled to Assam.
FollowA day after the arrest of two women journalists, Samriddhi K Sakunia and Swarna Jha from HW News Network in connection with allegedly spreading false information with their report of burning of Masjid and Quran in Gomati district of Tripura. The Tripura Police arrested the duo under various IPC sections from Assam's Karimganj district and will be producing them in session court in Tripura today (November 15).
Speaking to Asianet Newsable, IG Law and Order, Arindham Nath said that the two women's behaviour and non-cooperation led to doubt and as they fled Tripura despite ordering them to come to Agartala to give evidence of what they claimed and they were arrested.
"Initially we had no doubt about them nor had any plans for their arrest as they assured to meet us. The two women who were supposed to come to Agartala to appear before the police and give evidence did not turn up on time. We had sourced information that they had actually escaped. We traced their movement and based on an alert, informed the Assam police. Nearby police from Tripura went to Assam with the court order and arrested them and today we will produce them before the court."
The top cop contended that the police suspected that there could be 'someone' working in cahouts with these women journalists who helped them escape and further investigations are on. "The police have booked them under IPC section, 153(A) 153(B), 193, 204 and 120(B)," Nath added.
Echoing the same, Shashvat Kumar, SP of Gomati district where the incident was reported, questioned the reports published by the two journalists on the violence. The incident had happened on October 19 and the women journalists recently claimed in their report that Quran was also burnt. "Had there been any incident of burning of holy scripture, would it be there for 20 days for someone to discover it suddenly?. This is fabrication of facts," said the SP.
He said as the two persons were women and it involved only a magistrate order to arrest women after sunset, the police obtained the order as per rule and then arrested both the women journalists.
Indian Women's Press Corps calls for unity for arrested journalists:
Meanwhile, the Indian Women's Press Corps has expressed its solidarity with the arrested women journalists Samriddhi K Sakunia and Swarna Jha. The Corps feels that the two women journalists who have been harassed, intimidated, and detained for doing their job and pitched for their immediate release.
The Corps in a release also said that the women journalists were arrested for allegedly maligning the image of the Tripura government and for journalists more than the image of any government, truth and facts is what really matters.
Earlier one of the arrested journalists Samriddhi K Sakunia
tweeted about her arrest at Nilambazar Police station in Karimganj in Assam following Tripura Police order.
