PUCL condemned the police action against Mandeep Punia and demanded that FIR filed against him be immediately withdrawn and case be closed forthwith.
TCN News
People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Delhi has condemned the filing of FIR against freelance journalist Mandeep Punia and called it scandalous.
In a statement, PUCL Delhi said, “It is shocking that the Delhi police filed an FIR against Mandeep Punia, a freelance journalist, and arrested him on the allegations that he had misbehaved with an SHO at Singhu Border, Delhi on the night of 30 January 2021. As per information, Punia has been carrying out the assigned task of covering protests of farmers at Singhu border for the last two months on behalf of two magazines i.e. ‘The Caravan’ and ‘JUNPUTH’ and hours before his arrest he had posted a Facebook Live about the violence at Singhu border on Friday which showed that how men claiming to be locals had pelted stones on the peaceful protesters in the presence of the police. He was picked up by the police and has been accused of obstructing the police in the discharge of their duties and beating police personnel. His wife claims that no information was given to his family till late night about his detention and arrest. The family came to know of his arrest only when a fellow journalist went to the police station to lodge a ‘missing person’ complaint about Punia.”
PUCL said that Mandeep Punia was merely carrying out his journalistic duties and trying to place before the people a truthful account of the events taking place at the protest site. “It appears that the police is trying to intimidate and threaten the journalists who are trying to place the real picture of the events happening at the protest site,” PUCL said, adding, “Though Mandeep Punia has been granted bail, but the very FIR lodged against him is uncalled for and unwarranted. It is a blatant attack on the freedom of the Press.”
PUCL condemned the police action against Mandeep Punia and demanded that FIR filed against him be immediately withdrawn and case be closed forthwith.
The statement was issued by N.D. Pancholi, Sheoraj Singh, T.S. Ahuja, Arun Maji, Shalu Nigam, Amit Srivastava, Surya Prakash, Vertika Mani on behalf of PUCL Delhi.