Protest brewing in Kerala over MLA's threat to media, police action against journalists

Protest is brewing in Kerala against the police action against journalists as well as the threats being raised by a ruling front MLA against the media.

The state police on Monday even faced criticism from the Kerala High Court for seizing the mobile phone of a journalist as part of the probe against the editor of an online media. The police seized the mobile phone of a journalist of a Malayalam daily as part of the search for the editor of a Malayalam online media. The journalist moved the Kerala High Court and the court questioned the rationale of seizing the phone of a journalist who was neither an accused nor a suspect in any case.

The state police recently invited strong criticisms from various quarters for seizing all computers and other gadgets of online media 'Marunadan Malayali' and carrying out raids at the houses of the staff of the media as part of the search for its editor Shajan Skaria. Skaria is absconding after a case under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was registered against him on the basis of a petition filed by CPM MLA P V Sreenijan alleging that fake news was given against him with the intention of defaming.

The Supreme Court on Monday gave interim protection from arrest to Skaria after he filed an appeal against the Kerala High Court order rejecting bail.

Meanwhile, left-front MLA P V Anwar is also facing criticism for openly threatening a section of online media for giving reports against him as well as the CPM government. He made social media posts threatening action against some online media. The MLA, who had earlier courted many controversies over his business ventures, had raised threats against the journalists of some leading Malayalam channels earlier.

Strongly criticising Anwar, opposition leader V D Satheesan on Monday asked whether Anwar was raising the threats in the media with the blessings of the left-front government in Kerala. The Thiruvananthapuram Press Club also staged a protest march in front of the government secretariat seeking action against the MLA.

Recent actions of Kerala police of registering cases against the reporters of two leading Malayalam news channels had also triggered strong criticism and protests. While a woman journalist was arraigned in a conspiracy case after she reported an allegation regarding the mark list of a CPM's student wing leader, another journalist faced police action on charges of leaking out the transit route of the Kozhikode train arson case accused arrested from Maharashtra.