By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Chhattisgarh police booked a local journalist on Sunday for posting cartoons on social media against the state government and judiciary.
Kamal Shukla, a local journalist from Bastar, has been famous for being vocal against the fake encounters in the state. Besides writing for some local houses, Shukla is also known in the region for being a tribal rights activist.
The case against Shukla was registered at Katwali police station in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district under the section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code. The case was apparently filed after a resident of Rajasthan filed a complaint against Shukla’s Facebook post.
KL Dhruv, the Police Superintendent at Kanker, told media, “The case was handed over by the cyber crime cell in Raipur. We will take necessary action after the investigation.”
Shukla heads an organization named Patrakar Suraksha Kanoon Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti dedicated to providing protection to the journalists who have been working in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. He also edits a local outlet named Bhumkal Samachar.
In his post after the lawsuit, Shukla wrote, “No bail yet in the cases registered under (IG) Kalluri’s regime, now this sedition case against me. Anyway, my movement will not stop.”
The journalist has also claimed that the state government is targetting him as it does not want Shukla to reveal their secrets just before the assembly elections in the state.
The cartoon which Shukla uploaded was subjected to the mysterious death of Justice BH Loya. Counting Shukla, more than ten journalists have been booked under sedition charges in Chhattisgarh in past few years.
Moreover, the state administration and police bodies – especially under the leadership of IG Kalluri – have also been reportedly abusive and suppressive to the journalists working in the conflict zones of the state.