India: Police Arrest Bhavana Kishore After Barring Her From Covering Inauguration
Location: India, Ludhiana
Date: May 9, 2023
Police arrest Times Now reporter Bhavana Kishore while on assignment following a car accident. The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly denounces the hasty arrest.
Times Now reporter Bhavana Kishore was on assignment when police arrested her following a traffic accident potentially involving ruling party supporters. Kishore is accused of caste related hate speech, but her newsroom believes the arrest is politically motivated and an effort to silence the journalist after exposing corruption.
Prior to the accident, police forces surrounded Kishore to prevent her from covering a political inauguration of governing party politicians, video footage shows.
Additionally, Kishore was arrested without female officers present, a violation of India’s law on police procedures.
Times Now asked the Punjab Police on what grounds did the arrest take place and called the circumstances "suspicious in nature."
The journalist was granted interim bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Kishore's bail hearing will be held on Monday, May 15.
"The court agreed prima facie that this case is false... Whatever objection the state is having, that case will be heard on Monday," said Kishore's lawyer Chetan Mittal.
Nationwide Outcry
Press freedom organizations across the country have condemned the arrest, including the Editors Guild of India (EGI), the Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), the National Union of Journalists (India), and the Press Club of India (PCI).
EGI denounced the registration of the first information report (FIR) against Kishore and called it "excessive and filed with undue haste" provided that the reporter was on duty at the time the incident occurred.
The lack of female personnel presence during Kishore’s arrest, a clear violation of established procedures, was also heavily criticized by the Guild.
The PCI stated that Kishore’s arrest is a “blatant attack on the rights of a journalist”.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) criticized Kishore's hasty arrest as well and called it "politically motivated." Governor Banwarilal Purohit also protested Kishore's arrest and personally contacted Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to express his displeasure.
Press freedom in India
Press freedom continues to be on the decline in India. Between arrests, raids and physical violence press freedom is under constant restrain. The government solely encourages speech in support of the ruling party. Currently, India ranks in the 150th place in regards to freedom of press.
On May 4, a day prior to Kishore's arrest, CFWIJ reported the assault of former BBC veteran journalist Sakshi Joshi by police forces. Joshi was roughed up, pushed and had her clothes torn by several policewomen while on duty reporting on a women-led protest.
CFWIJ has documented numerous misinformation campaigns against senior journalist Rana Ayyub who has been threatened with rape and death on several occasions. Ayyub has experienced physical harassment for her coverage of Kashmir, the farmers’ protests and Covid-19. She was labeled a “terrorist sympathizer” for criticizing Saudi Arabia and expressing solidarity with Yemen.
Dalit journalist Meena Kotwal recorded herself burning a copy of the “Manusmriti” an ancient religio-legal text believed to be upholding caste and gender discrimination in Indian society. As a result, a barrage of threatening messages ensued. Kotwal requested police to file a complaint under the Prevention of Atrocities Act but no action was taken to ensure her safety.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is deeply disturbed by these incidents and views them as a blatant encroachment of press freedom. We stand in solidarity with Bhavana Kishore and demand police authorities provide protection to journalists and refrain from arbitrarily arresting them. The role of journalists is vital to holding power to account. Without freedom of press those in power will continue to operate with impunity putting an already fragile democracy in grave peril.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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