<p>Close on the heels of the Press Council of India (PCI) arguing that there was an “unwritten censorship on media in Bihar”, the state human rights panel has issued a notice to the Bihar director general of police and Nawada-superintendent of police asking them to explain under what circumstances the house of a journalist from a national daily was raided in the night.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Nawada-based scribe had filed a report “Judge proposes, cop disposes”, which said how Nawada SP Lalan Mohan Prasad had failed to execute an arrest warrant against Station House Officer Vindhyachal Prasad, who had tied a rope around the waist of a lawyer (who was an additional public prosecutor and represented the police), after arresting him and paraded him in the lower court.<br /><br />Terming both reports (raid on journalist house and inhuman treatment meted out to lawyer) as “quite disturbing”, chairman of the Bihar Human Rights Commission (BHRC), Justice (Retd) S N Jha said: “There is an attempt to muzzle the Press for reporting the matter and bringing it in public domain.”<br /><br />The notice, a copy of which is with <em>Deccan Herald</em>, says that the action of the SP was violative of freedom of speech and expression. <br /><br />Dignity undermined<br /><br />“The chain of incidents, if true, reveals a concerted attempt on the part of Nawada police to undermine not only the dignity of the individual referred to in the news item but also the dignity and primacy of the judiciary. The action ex-facie deserves to be depreciated and disapproved,” it says.<br /><br />The unfortunate incident took an ugly turn when the SP, who was earlier posted as DySP in chief minister’s security, took umbrage over the report published in an English daily and reportedly ordered the arrest of the reporter “by hook or crook”.<br /><br />Immediately thereafter, the Nawada police raided the district correspondent’s house at 8:30 pm. Apprehending arrest in a “fabricated” case, the reporter moved a petition with the chief judicial magistrate and the civil SDO.<br /><br /> The police, however, could not find anything incriminating. But disturbed over the two events, the BHRC suo motu took cognizance of the episode and issued notice to DGP Abhayanand and SP Lalan Mohan Prasad. Asking both of them “to submit their response within two weeks”, Justice Jha posted the matter to March 20 for further hearing.<br /></p>
<p>Close on the heels of the Press Council of India (PCI) arguing that there was an “unwritten censorship on media in Bihar”, the state human rights panel has issued a notice to the Bihar director general of police and Nawada-superintendent of police asking them to explain under what circumstances the house of a journalist from a national daily was raided in the night.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Nawada-based scribe had filed a report “Judge proposes, cop disposes”, which said how Nawada SP Lalan Mohan Prasad had failed to execute an arrest warrant against Station House Officer Vindhyachal Prasad, who had tied a rope around the waist of a lawyer (who was an additional public prosecutor and represented the police), after arresting him and paraded him in the lower court.<br /><br />Terming both reports (raid on journalist house and inhuman treatment meted out to lawyer) as “quite disturbing”, chairman of the Bihar Human Rights Commission (BHRC), Justice (Retd) S N Jha said: “There is an attempt to muzzle the Press for reporting the matter and bringing it in public domain.”<br /><br />The notice, a copy of which is with <em>Deccan Herald</em>, says that the action of the SP was violative of freedom of speech and expression. <br /><br />Dignity undermined<br /><br />“The chain of incidents, if true, reveals a concerted attempt on the part of Nawada police to undermine not only the dignity of the individual referred to in the news item but also the dignity and primacy of the judiciary. The action ex-facie deserves to be depreciated and disapproved,” it says.<br /><br />The unfortunate incident took an ugly turn when the SP, who was earlier posted as DySP in chief minister’s security, took umbrage over the report published in an English daily and reportedly ordered the arrest of the reporter “by hook or crook”.<br /><br />Immediately thereafter, the Nawada police raided the district correspondent’s house at 8:30 pm. Apprehending arrest in a “fabricated” case, the reporter moved a petition with the chief judicial magistrate and the civil SDO.<br /><br /> The police, however, could not find anything incriminating. But disturbed over the two events, the BHRC suo motu took cognizance of the episode and issued notice to DGP Abhayanand and SP Lalan Mohan Prasad. Asking both of them “to submit their response within two weeks”, Justice Jha posted the matter to March 20 for further hearing.<br /></p>
