By IANS
Hyderabad : The arrest of two journalists in the state once again rocked the state assembly Thursday with the entire opposition coming down heavily on the ruling Congress government for its action and the latter defending itself.
Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy made it clear that his government was not targeting journalists but defended the cases against the two scribes saying there was prima facie evidence against them.
The two journalists B. Urukundu of Andhra Bhoomi and B. Sriramulu of Andhra Jyothi were arrested Nov 7, from Kunrool district on charges of cheating and writing stories that harmed the reputation of government and individual officials.
They were released on bail Tuesday.
The journalists claimed that they were exposing corruption in a housing scheme for the poor, but the authorities maintained that they used fraudulent methods in the story that exposed how officials sanctioned houses under the scheme in the names of the chief minister, state minister M. Mareppa and legislator M. Sikhamani. The journalists got the village secretary of Laddagiri in Kodumuru mandal to sanction houses in the names of these personalities.
Police arrested the journalists on a complaint filed by the district officials. Justifying the action, police claimed that the journalists were at fault as they secured the certificate from the village secretary through fraudulent means.
The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, accused the government of trying to gag the media. Members of both the parties staged a walkout while those of TRS lodged their protest.
Leader of opposition and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu alleged that instead of taking action against the legislator named by the journalists in their investigative report, the government was targeting journalists.
Earlier, the chief minister said prime facie evidence was against the journalists as they tried to defame the government and individuals by publishing a false report.
“They took blank signed forms for beneficiaries (under housing scheme) from an official and filled the names (of chief minister, a minister, legislator and an actor). It was not a sting operation because they created something and wrote a false report,” Reddy said, adding that the investigations against them would continue and the guilty would be punished.
The arrests evoked sharp reaction from the scribes and opposition parties, who alleged that the government was stifling the voice of the media.
The issue rocked the state assembly with the journalists staying away from the proceedings of house Tuesday and staging protests in the assembly premises.