UP: FIR against news portal, its two journalists over documentary on mosque demolition
Barabanki (UP): The Uttar Pradesh Police has filed an FIR against news portal 'The Wire', its two journalists and two others over a documentary on the demolition of a mosque here which, the administration said, was built illegally.
The case has been registered against journalists Siraj Ali and Mukul S Chauhan, and two others -- Mohammad Anees and Mohammad Naeem -- who gave "provocative" statements in the documentary that spread "prejudiced, misleading and untrue" information, police said on Friday.
The Barabanki administration had demolished the mosque on May 17, terming it an illegally constructed building and attributed its claim to an April 2 order of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. The mosque was located adjacent to the tehsil premises and opposite the SDM's residence.
A video related to the Ramsanehi Ghat tehsil complex was shared by news portal 'The Wire' on its Twitter handle on June 23 in which "baseless" claims have been made, Superintendent of Police Yamuna Prasad said.
"A case has been registered against The Wire on Thursday night on charges of spreading enmity and religious frenzy by broadcasting sensational, prejudiced, misleading and untrue things and making a malicious attempt to spoil communal amity. Instructions have been issued to initiate action," he said.
In-charge of Kotwali police station Sachchidanand Rai said investigations are underway to find out who else was involved in "making provocative statements and spreading false information".
The news portal has termed the police's charges "baseless", and accused the Uttar Pradesh government of "criminalising the work of journalists who are reporting what is happening in the state".
"This is the fourth FIR filed by the UP Police in the past 14 months against The Wire and/or its journalists and each of these cases is baseless. The Adityanath government does not believe in media freedom and is criminalising the work of journalists who are reporting what is happening in the state," said The Wire's founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan in a statement on Thursday.
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We received request; will decide soon whether to support TVK: Thirumavalavan
Chennai (PTI): VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday said that his party received a request from TVK for support and the high-level committee of his party will decide whether to support the Vijay-led party to form the government.
The TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly and emerged as the single largest party. Vijay will have to resign from one of the two constituencies he has won.
Though the Congress party, which has five MLAs, has extended support to TVK, the actor-politician-led party was still short of as many seats to touch the magic number of 118, the majority mark in the 234-member House.
"We received the request letter from TVK. We are thankful for that. We have not ignored his (Vijay's) request. We have a procedure. Therefore, our party's high-level committee will decide soon. We are going to discuss the merits and demerits of our position," the VCK leader told reporters here.
With regard to the delay in the governor's call to the TVK, which is the single largest party, to form the government, Thirumavalavan requested the governor to invite Vijay to form the government. "It is a constitutional right and people's verdict," he added.
Asserting that the governor cannot say that Vijay should hold 118 MLAs' support now itself to form the government, he said that after taking over power, Vijay has to prove an absolute majority only on the floor of the Assembly.
