Journalist held, another booked in Ambala over error in report

Confirming Brar’s arrest on a complaint by a sub-inspector, the SHO of the police station, Inspector Vijay Kumar, told The Indian Express: “He will be produced before a court on Saturday. The matter is under investigation.”

Opposition leaders attacked the BJP-led Haryana government over the arrests, saying police had even brought Sharma’s 70-year-old father to the police station on not finding the journalist at his office.

“Sharma’s father was released only when journalists objected to his detention,” Haryana Congress leader Rohit Jain, who joined journalists at the police station in protest against the arrest, said. INLD leaders led by Prakash Bharti also held a protest.

Police, however, denied any information regarding Sharma’s father’s detention.

The case against the journalists relates to a report carried by ‘Dainik Bhaskar’ on Thursday, on a man arrested by the Punjab Police the previous day from Ambala, over an alleged tiffin bomb plot. While the suspected terrorist, part of an alleged gang of four, was arrested from village Mardon Sahib village of Ambala, the newspaper headline said, ‘Punjab Police ka dava – Cantt mein IOC depot ke nazdeek se pakda gaya aatanki (Punjab Police claims arrest of terrorist at Cantt from near IOC depot)’.

The report also said the Ambala Police had denied any information on the matter, saying “nobody sought any assistance from us”.

On Friday, the newspaper published a correction regarding the location from where the suspected terrorist was arrested.

However, Sub-Inspector Radhey Shyam filed a complaint saying: “… Sunil journalist published the news without any authentication. Journalist Sunil and in-charge Sandeep Sharma have created fear in the masses by publishing false news. Because of it, there is an atmosphere of panic and terror in society, which may lead to caste riots.”