The Azamgarh district magistrate on Monday ordered an investigation into the arrest of a journalist allegedly after he shot a video of some children mopping the floor of their school, PTI reported.
The police arrested Santosh Jaiswal on Friday after he took pictures and videos of children cleaning the floor at Oodpur Primary School. He allegedly called up the police and complained against the school, but the police soon arrested both him and the school’s principal, Radhey Shyam Yadav.
The arrest came just a week after the Uttar Pradesh government filed a first information report against journalist Pawan Jaiswal for his report on schoolchildren in Mirzapur eating chapatis and salt in their mid-day meal.
Santosh Jaiswal’s colleague Sudhir Singh told NDTV that the police arrested him on false charges of extortion and obstructing public servants from doing their duties.
A group of local journalists met Azamgarh District Magistrate NP Singh, after which he ordered an inquiry. “No injustice will be meted out to the journalist,” Singh told the group. “We will look into the matter.”
The police arrested Jaiswal based on Yadav’s complaint against him. The principal alleged that the journalist often visited the school and harassed teachers and students. In his complaint, Yadav said that Jaiswal forced the children to mop the floor on the day of the incident so that he could take photographs. He added that Jaiswal had also demanded money from him.
Local journalists, however, alleged that the police bore resentment against Jaiswal because he had in the past pointed out errors by the Phulpur police station house officer.
Now, follow and debate the day’s most significant stories on Scroll Exchange.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!