Delhi Police detained several journalists covering the protests despite reports that they had displayed their press cards, according to journalists on the ground and posts on X.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and DIGIPUB News India Foundation called for their immediate release, with DIGIPUB also seeking pro bono legal assistance for those detained.
Several journalists, including those working with independent media organisations and digital news platforms, were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday while covering protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Journalists on the ground reported being taken away on police buses despite showing their press cards. The detentions were reported amid a police crackdown on demonstrations planned in the national capital, reported Outlook.
DIGIPUB News India Foundation, a collective of digital news platforms, demanded their release and sought legal assistance for those detained.
“Detained for documenting a protest. Journalists at Jantar Mantar showed their ID cards and were taken anyway. DIGIPUB demands their immediate release. Journalism is not a crime,” the collective said in a post on X.
DIGIPUB also said reports indicated that several content creators and digital journalists had been detained at police stations and other locations across Delhi. It appealed to Delhi-based lawyers to provide pro bono legal assistance to those detained and shared an email address for those seeking to help.
The detentions came days after Delhi Police issued a set of guidelines for journalists covering protests, which included a direction for reporters on the ground to display their press cards prominently.
However, journalists covering Saturday’s demonstrations reported being detained despite displaying their identification cards.
Hritik Joshi, a journalist with Navbharat Times, told Outlook that his colleague Rahul Charas and he were on their way to cover the protests on an official assignment when they were detained. Recounting their movements, Joshi said they had started walking from ITO, crossed an unoccupied barricade on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg and reached Minto Bridge. From there, they walked towards Ajmeri Gate after spotting a group of protesters raising slogans. “We took some visuals before being detained too,” he said.
Joshi said the two journalists repeatedly identified themselves as members of the press and showed their press cards, but the police did not heed their requests. “We repeated n number of times that we are from press and this is our ID cards, but our request went in vain and the policemen forcefully detained both of us,” he said.
