BJP accuses Himachal CM Sukhu of targeting media freedom over 'samosa' controversy

Shimla: The Congress government in the state is targeting the freedom of the media by registering an FIR in the leak of the "Samosa inquiry report," said former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday.

In a statement issued here, he said that the government has become directionless, chaotic and dictatorial, and the police department has created a ruckus because the Chief Minister could not get a samosa.

The Shimla police had registered an FIR against unknown individuals for theft, forgery, public mischief, and criminal conspiracy for leaking information and documents from the CID Department on the complaint of the SP Crime (CID) on February 11.

The resources and energy of the state government have been wasted investigating who served the samosa, who leaked the state CID Samosa scandal, and who reported it in the media, and why, he asserted.

He said that mentioning Section 353(2) for public mischief by publishing or circulating any statement or report containing false information, rumours, or alarming news in the FIR is an attempt to impose restrictions on the media.

"This FIR is an attack on the freedom of the media. By registering such FIRs, the government wants to send a message to the media that it will not spare anyone who writes against their failures," he said.

Thakur said that according to the FIR, sensitive matters are repeatedly leaked in the media. Therefore, the chief minister should clarify how many such matters have already been leaked and what threats they pose to the sovereignty and internal security of the state.

The chief minister should also explain what kind of secrecy exists in the investigation of the samosas and how it relates to public interest, Jai Ram Thakur said, adding that the Chief Minister should give up his dictatorial attitude and address the problems faced by the common people instead of suppressing the media.

Crime is at its peak in the state, and the law and order situation has deteriorated. In the last 50 days, 16 murders have occurred in the state and the chitta and mining mafias are ruling the roost, but the police are busy with the samosa investigation, he said.

So far, over two dozen FIRs have been registered against media persons and common citizens for writing against the government in the past two years. Now the government has brought up the ashes of the samosa incident to collectively target media persons, he maintained.

The freedom of expression of the media and common citizens is their fundamental right granted by the Constitution, which the Sukhu government wants to snatch. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who pretends to defend the Constitution, should answer how the Congress government in the state can violate the fundamental rights of the people, he added.