The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the arrest of Tarakant Dwivedi, alias Akela, under India’s Official Secrets Act, after he reported on poor security conditions in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus (CST) in India’s western metropolis of Mumbai.
CST, which is a hub of both suburban and long-distance railway traffic, was among the first targets to be hit in the terrorist attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008. More than a third of the 164 people killed during the three day-long siege of Mumbai perished at this location.
Soon afterwards, the Government Railway Police (GRP), which is tasked with maintaining security at all major facilities of the Indian Railways, procured an array of sophisticated weaponry to deal with future contingencies involving terrorist attacks.
On June 28, 2010, the daily Mumbai Mirror newspaper published a report under Akela’s byline, headlined “Leaks in CST armoury put new anti-terror arms under threat”. The report documented how newly procured equipment was being stored in a room with a leaky roof, making their efficacy in an emergency situation highly questionable.
In October, the GRP reportedly filed a case against Akela on charges of trespass. On May 17, a contingent of the GRP arrived at the office of the afternoon daily Mid-day, where Akela now works. He was taken away to the GRP office, ostensibly to record his statement, but placed under arrest later that night. The next morning, when he was due to be produced before the local magistrate, the GRP pleaded its inability to do so owing to the required paperwork not being completed.
Mumbai’s journalists, led by the Brihan-Mumbai Union of Journalists and the Marathi Patrakar Sangh, have strongly protested the arbitrary arrest of a reporter who was clearly working towards bringing vital information to public notice.
On Thursday, a number of Mumbai’s senior journalists went to meet the Home Minister in the state government of Maharashtra to demand that the case against Akela be withdrawn. A demonstration involving several hundred journalists later marched from the local union office to the administrative headquarters of the state government.
“We extend our solidarity to Akela and all Mumbai’s journalists in their struggle against this gross violation of media freedom and the public’s right to be informed of matters concerning their personal safety,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.
“The IFJ believes that in areas of heightened security concerns, efforts by official agencies to restrict the flow of information does little for the cause of public reassurance.”
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
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