Police personnel detain a journalist covering a protest in New Delhi, raising concerns over press freedom despite a Supreme Court order protecting media professionals. (PTI Photo/Karma Bhutia)

Despite a clear order by the Supreme Court on Sunday to the government and the police not to obstruct the work of journalists, lawyers and other professionals, several journalists were stopped from doing their job at protest sites by the Delhi Police personnel and many of them were physically roughed up, detained, bundled in police buses and sent off to places far away from the protest sites. These included female journalists as well.

Journalists complained that the police obstructed their work in many ways, and even blocked their vision and cameras from capturing the detention of protesters or even showing the footage of protests.

BBC journalist Jugal Purohit showed the visuals of Rapid Action Force personnel blocking him from taking videos. He accused the police of whistling in front of the mikes of media to distort the audio. He said the RAF was lifting their shields and putting them between journalists and the protestors to prevent them from capturing the visuals of the protest in a bid to prevent it from beaming even as journalists cited the Supreme Court’s order of Sunday relating to protection of press freedom. Media personnel were roughed up at various locations despite all of them wearing their identity cards. News of media persons detention also surfaced from Mumbai.

The Asia-Pacific program of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP) issued a statement saying journalists, including those from mainstream news organisations were temporarily detained by Delhi Police while covering the second day of protests in New Delhi.

“CPJ calls on Delhi Police to honour the government’s assurance to the Supreme Court that journalists will not be impeded in their professional duties and to refrain from targeting journalists covering the protests. As the world’s largest democracy, India has a special responsibility to uphold press freedom and protect journalists’ constitutional right to report freely and without interference,” the media body said in a statement.

During the hearing by the Supreme Court bench during a special Sunday sitting, the government assured the apex court that the lawyers, journalists and other professionals shall not be impeded in the discharge of their professional duties. Taking note of submissions by the government the bench of justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana ordered that “lawyers, journalists and other professionals shall not be hindered in discharge of their professional duties in any manner whatsoever.” In view of this order, and Sunday’s continued crackdown on journalists the government and the Delhi Police may find it tough to explain why their action does not amount to “Contempt of Court.”

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