By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Nadimul Haque has written to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, raising the issue of harassment of his father and Chief Editor, Akhbar-e-Mashrique Muhammad Wasimul Haque by the Delhi Police, over the publication of a news article.
Muhammad Wasimul Haque, 81, who has been awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Press Council of India, was picked up at his residence in Laxmi Nagar on December 3 at midnight by the Delhi Police and taken to the Shakarpur Police Station. Talking to Twocircles.net, Nadimul Haque, who wrote to Singh on December 7, said, “My father was made to accompany the officers to police station at about 1 a.m. at night. On reaching the Shakarpur police station, the S.H.0 in charge of police station not only behaved inappropriately and disrespectfully with my father but stated the reason of ‘protection’ for calling my father to the police station against news published in Akhbar-e- Mashriq, which was in fact, supplied by INS India- a news agency.”
A few days ago, a news agency-based report had been published in Akhbar-E Mashrique simultaneously from Kolkata, Delhi and Ranchi. The news talked about the arrest of a Hindu Mahasbha leader in Uttar Pradesh.
In the report, it said that due to a criminal offence of making inappropriate remarks against Prophet Mohammed, Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamalesh Tewary has been arrested and sent to judicial custody. The newspaper added a line, saying that if a radical religious leader had been arrested and sent to custody, it was a proof that the law of the country has been upheld and saved.
Rajya Sabha MP of Trinamool Congress Sukhendu Shekhar Roy also raised the question yesterday in the Rajya Sabha to get the attention of Home Mister Rajnath Singh.
Nadimul Haque also told TwoCircles.net he had lodged a complaint with the Press Council of India. “This is not how one behaves with a respected journalist. The Press Council of India should take up the matter and summon Delhi Police Commissioner as soon as possible over the matter.”
