Two journalists held for spreading hatred in Tripura

AGARTALA: Two Delhi-based journalists, on the request of the Tripura police, were arrested by the Assam police on Sunday, for "creating hatred between communities".

A Tripura police spokesman said the journalists – Samriddhi K. Sakunia and Swarna Jha, have been detained by Nilam Bazaar police station of Karimganj district in Assam on the request of the Tripura police. A Tripura police team would to bring them to the State.

A statement by Tripura police on Sunday said the two journalists had come to Tripura on Thursday, and a case has been filed against them in the Kakraban Police Station (in southern Tripura's Gomati district) on Sunday under various section of the IPC for "creation of hatred between communities by fabricating, concealing of record in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy as revealed from the Twitter posts by Samriddhi Sakunia".

It said the police asked the two journalists to share the documents visible in their videos but instead of coming to Agartala, the two reporters made an escape towards Assam. They were also found involved in spreading communal hatred at Paul Bazaar in North Tripura district and another case was also registered against them at the Fatikroy police station under various sections of the IPC, the statement said. They were served with notices under section Cr.PC and supposed to appear before the investigation agency by November 21 according to their convenience, it added.

Sakunia and Jha reportedly work for HW News Network. The media house in a statement, criticizing the Tripura police and questioning the procedure of the arrest of the two journalists, said: "This is sheer harassment and targeting of the press on the part of Tripura police and Tripura government to suppress us from reporting the facts of the case." The FIR has been filed at the Fatikroy police station on the basis of a written complaint submitted by Kanchan Das, who is a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the media house said. (IANS)

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