New Delhi: Barricades, flying drones, body cameras, a thousand security personnel stationed everywhere – the national capital has turned into a fortress, and the Delhi Police is ensuring no one gets to the Jantar Mantar protest site.
This includes journalists and social media creators who mainly cover political content.
Several videos have surfaced showing journalists being bundled up in vans to undisclosed locations. A majority of them display their ID cards, but the police seem to disregard this.
This comes after the Delhi Police released a statement asking media persons to display valid press identity cards.
Only those who have a Press Information Bureau (PIB) accreditation card are allowed to report. It should be noted that PIB is the nodal agency under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
Scroll‘s reporter Ayush Tiwari was detained at the HKS Bhawan despite showing her press card. She was not even at the protest site. Their political editor, Shohaib Daniyal, has also been detained.
Three Newslaundry reporters, Anmol Pritam, Ashwine Kumar Singh and Astha Savyasachi were also detained with their mobile phones seized. When they told the police that they were journalists, they were reportedly told, “Koi media nahin hai.”
Popular content creator Kavya Karnatac was also detained at Dhaula Kuan. She posted a video of herself inside a bus saying no one is allowed to move, no matter whether they are a protester or not.
“Right to movement aaj Delhi mein nahi hai. Aap akele jaa rahe ho, group mein jaa rahe ho, personal kaam se jaa rahe ho ya protest ke liye, aapko detain kiya jaayega bina reason diye. (Whether you are travelling solo, in a group, for personal work or as a protestor, you will be detained without a reason).
Lawyers are also not spared. Videos have emerged showing the police dragging Delhi lawyers who were on their way to Jantar Mantar.
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