In Agra, journalist Gaurav Agarwal was arrested in the dead of the night with seven cars encircling his place, and it is reported that after his arrest, the police team thrashed and tortured him brutally all night.
The incident occurred on March 8, 2022, when Gaurav had reported EVM rigging during the counting of the votes during the Uttar Pradesh Elections. After that, he started circulating the content related to it on various mediums. He also alleged corruption during the recent Uttar Pradesh Elections.
Due to this, late in the night, seven police vehicles drove into his place and arrested him. They started thrashing him wildly as if he was a third-degree criminal. Gaurav Agarwal was beaten savagely the entire night like an animal while the police kept spewing abuses on him. He fell down crying and trembling in fear, hands were shivering and after being tortured, he was reduced to a bundle of nerves.
Piyush Rai, a journalist shares, “The man seen trembling here is journalist Gaurav Bansal. He was allegedly tortured by cops in UP’s Agra district, slapped with at least 11 IPC section and sent to jail. He is accused of misbehaving with cops on March 8 and 9.
The Agra police release claims Gaurav has three criminal cases registered against him. The police in its investigation also concluded that his behaviour is not up to the mark in the journalist association.”
The man seen trembling here is journalist Gaurav Bansal. He was allegedly tortured by cops in UP's Agra district, slapped with at least 11 IPC section and sent to jail. He is accused of misbehaving with cops on March 8 and 9. pic.twitter.com/vj7kKfgdWN — Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) March 17, 2022
However, this is not the true story that is reported by other sources. The Live TV clearly reports that Gaurav Agarwal was arrested for reporting about the EVM rigging.
Yashwant Singh, an editor writes, “Baba’s bulldozer started running only on the journalists. What has the police done to the Agra journalist who raised questions on the governance administration”
बाबा का बुल्डोज़र पत्रकारों पर ही चलने लगा। शासन प्रशासन पर सवाल उठने वाले आगरा के पत्रकार की क्या हालत कर दी है पुलिस ने https://t.co/RUSbHGq7Mv @dgpup @Uppolice @myogioffice @shalabhmani @AwasthiAwanishK @Editor__Sanjay @brajeshlive @pbhushan1 pic.twitter.com/kG8ZXP7Faa — Yashwant Singh (@yashbhadas) March 17, 2022
Indignation is rising and people demanding that “the criminal policemen of Agra Police, who beat up the journalist badly, should be sacked immediately. “
पत्रकार को बुरी तरह पीटने वाले आगरा पुलिस के अपराधी पुलिसकर्मियों को फ़ौरन बर्खास्त किया जाए। @navneetsehgal3 @Uppolice @pbhushan1 @myogioffice @shalabhmani @vinodkapri @AwasthiAwanishK @Editor__Sanjay @1Hemanttiwari @dgpup @CMOfficeUP @MrityunjayUP @brajeshlive pic.twitter.com/gecReslq85 — Yashwant Singh (@yashbhadas) March 17, 2022
It appears the Agra Police have been given full authority to beat up journalists savagely.
तो इसलिए आगरा पुलिस को पत्रकार गौरव अग्रवाल को बुरी तरह पीटने का लाइसेंस मिल गया! ☛ https://t.co/RgUn2LaJi6 @navneetsehgal3 @Uppolice @pbhushan1 @myogioffice @shalabhmani @vinodkapri @AwasthiAwanishK @Editor__Sanjay @1Hemanttiwari @dgpup @CMOfficeUP @MrityunjayUP @brajeshlive pic.twitter.com/j4SQ7zZQh2 — Yashwant Singh (@yashbhadas) March 17, 2022
Gaurav Agarwal is none other than a journalist doing his sacred job, raising up questions to the government and reporting any irregularities he sees as is the sovereign duty of journalists.
The torture of Gaurav Agarwal was not an attack on Gaurav Agarwal but an attack on all journalists in the nation. Many bold journalists are muffled and stopped from reporting real-time reports on the ground that uncover powerful people. Their lives are in danger when they do so and most of them get arrest on false pretexts and then they are beaten so brutally to break their spirits so that they would never dare to venture on reporting against the government again.
Article 19 in the Indian Constitution gives journalists in India the right to question the government and make it accountable to the nation. The beauty and power of democratic journalism are to weed out crime and corruption by throwing in more light on dark deeds. However, democratic journalism is dying, rather paid parrot journalism is thriving in main stream media, thus should not be called journalism anymore.
Tragically, as Live TV reports, the mainstream media never reports the assault on journalists and only keeps on gushing out praises for the government in power, which is not the duty of journalists. Journalists are the watchdogs and keepers of the nation.
The Live TV reports that in the past, if journalists dare to utter a query to to Yogi Adityanath, he would get into a huff, gather his robes and walk away offended. Perhaps leaders of our nation do not understand the Constitution, it is their duty to answer the nation, not our privilege to hear them out.
Journalists express that Yogi Adityanath appears to have launched his bulldozer to mow down the voices of journalists to crush any criticism of his government in Uttar Pradesh.
Yogi Adityanath (born Ajay Singh Bisht); is an Indian Hindu monk and politician serving as the 22nd and current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in office since 19 March 2017. He is also the mahant or head priest of the Gorakhnath Math, a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur, a position he has held since the death of his spiritual “father”, Mahant Avaidyanath, in September 2014.
He is also the founder of Hindu Yuva Vahini, a Hindu nationalist organization. He has an image of a Hindutva nationalist and a right-wing populist and it is hard for him to accept criticism nor does he want journalists reporting anything unfavorable about his governance.
In 2021, the countries which ranked highest on the Press Freedom Index were Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Jamaica, New Zealand, Ireland, Portugal, and Switzerland.
The 2021 World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a French NGO, has again placed India at 142nd rank out of 180 countries. This despite the fact that for a year, under directions from the Cabinet Secretary, an Index Monitoring Cell worked to improve the world rankings, including a meeting between Ambassador to France with the RSF officials to lobby for a change in the ranking in the index compiled by them.
In 2016, India’s rank was 133 which has steadily climbed down to 142 in 2020. The RSF report says India is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly. They are exposed to every kind of attack, including police violence against reporters, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials.
It is very tragic that journalism in India that reports authentic first-hand news raising questions on the government is slowly being squashed by top political leaders but what is more frightening is the deathly silence of “mainstream” media, who never cover news such as what happened to Gaurav Agarwal.
Rita
The Live TV Reports this in detail in Hindi.
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