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Journalism of Courage
A journalist in Kerala has been sent a notice by police demanding that he produce his mobile phone as part of an investigation into a news report that he wrote, prompting the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) on Tuesday to take out protest marches to the offices of the state police chief and various district police chiefs.
The news report in question, which appeared on July 28 in the Malayalam daily Madhyamam, was about an alleged leak of data of job applicants at the state Public Service Commission (PSC). The report, titled ‘Details of job applicants in dark web: DGP report’, carried an image of the PSC agenda document, which according to the police was “highly secret”.
As police began a probe into how the newspaper got access to the document, the Crime Branch served notices to the editor of Madhyamam and Aniru Asokan, a reporter with the daily’s bureau in Thiruvananthapuram. The probe was initiated after a complaint filed by PSC secretary Saju George.
As part of the probe, the Crime Branch questioned journalist Aniru Asokan, who refused to reveal his source, it was learnt. Subsequently, a notice was issued to the newspaper asking for details on how the PSC agenda was accessed.
The notice, addressed to the editor of the newspaper, was served under BNSS section 94 on December 19, and demanded that the details be furnished within 48 hours.
On December 21, the reporter, Asokan, was served another notice, asking him to produce his mobile phone before the investigating officer within two days.
Madhyamam chief editor O Abdurahiman, in a statement issued in the daily, said the probe against the daily and its reporter infringed upon the freedom of the press. The statement said the newspaper would deal with the police action legally.
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