New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday slammed the ruling BJP dispensation at Centre over the arrest of a freelance journalist from the Singhu – a Delhi border entry point, where the agitating farmers are camping.
Mandeep Punia was arrested for allegedly misbehaving with the police personnel on duty at the farmers' protest site, officials said.
A case was registered against him and he has been arrested, senior police officer said, a day after the scribe was detained. Responding to the arrest, party leader Rahul Gandhi said those who fear truth arrest honest scribes. Punia has been in news lately over his coverage of the agitation; in one particular report he has hinted at collusion between the BJP and local residents in a concerted attempt to intimidate the farmers. Another freelance journalist Dharmender Singh (with Online News India) was also detained on a similar charge as Punia -- misbehaving with police personnel on duty. The police submission is that they had placed barricades at the border following the violence on Friday; however, the journalist and a few others tried to remove the barricades, the police have alleged, adding that the scribe also misbehaved with the police personnel.
