It’s turned out be a tough few days for journalists in Karnataka as the battle for Assembly elections heats up. Just yesterday, a Times of India stinger was “manhandled and illegally confined” by supporters of a Congress minister in Mysuru. Meanwhile, India Today anchor Rajdeep Sardesai was heckled at a restaurant in Bengaluru.

While these cases were amply highlighted owing to the fact that these journalists work with mainstream media organisations, an instance of intimidation directed at a regional news organisation has received less prominence.

The threat was clearly implied. “What was the need for Varthabharati to publish the release of BJP’s manifesto on page 1?” the caller asked the paper’s executive officer Mohammad Muslim. The caller did not identify himself but made clear his anger at some of the paper’s coverage of the ongoing state election campaign.

Varthabharati, a Kannada daily started in 2002 and is published from three centres – Mangaluru, Bengaluru and Shivamogga. It has a circulation of about one lakh copies and is widely read in the coastal belt. The paper is owned by the Mangaluru-based Community Media Trust. Mohammad Muslim said the calls, on his mobile and the office landline, had come after the newspaper published an interview with the BJP candidate in Mangaluru north Dr Bharat Shetty on May 3, the first call coming at 9 am of that day.

The paper’s editor-in-chief and managing trustee of the Community Media Trust, Abdussalam Puthige, who was inspired by the style of journalism of late Vaddarse Raghuram Shetty, editor of the now-defunct Mungaru, was not available for comment, nor were other senior officers of the company. Varthabharati follows a centrist editorial policy, which has attracted the ire of Islamic fundamentalists.

Callers question coverage

The callers issued threats of bodily harm and attacks on the newspaper. Speaking to this correspondent, Mohammad Muslim confirmed that he had got threat calls on his mobile number. “When they first called, they asked me why Varthabharati was carrying news of BJP’s poll plans and campaigns. The second call, they said that the paper should not have carried the interview of BJP candidate for Mangaluru north Dr Bharat Shetty as it would give undue advantage to the BJP and dim the chances of Congress candidate Mohiuddin Bava. The callers also said the paper should only highlight candidates of whichever party they were supporting. I tried to convince them that professional ethics demanded that we treat all news on the same platform.”

The paper has filed a complaint with the Mangaluru South police station at Pandeshwar, which reads: “The anonymous caller had called my mobile number and had objected to the publication of Dr Bharat Shetty’s interview. The caller asked if Bharat Shetty has paid money to the paper. The caller unleashed a barrage of unparliamentary words against me and the paper. This was followed by another call in the evening. Later, another caller from a different number reached the landline number of the office and said you people had joined hands with ‘chaddis’ and you have sidelined Mohiuddin Bava for which you will pay.”

Varthabharati is known for its balanced reporting, but because it has a Muslim ownership, fundamentalists in the Muslim community want the paper to be towing their line and block all news that mentions the BJP or developments in the Right. The editorial team led by Puthige and chief of bureau Pushparaj have striven to maintain balanced reporting of events. Puthige, 54, editor since the paper’s founding 16 years ago, is trusted for his editorials. Conversant in eight languages including Arabic, Beary, Persian and Tulu, his stewardship has ensured a fair coverage of the ongoing election campaign. Varthabharati’s coverage of Modi’s visits and the BJP’s campaign were balanced with equal coverage given to the Congress candidates and campaign. Respected intellectuals like the late Dr U R Ananthmurty have written regularly in the paper and were among its readers.

Paper seeks protection, FIR not filed yet

The Congress candidates, particularly in Buntwal (B Ramanatha Rai) and Mangaluru city north (Mohiuddin Bava) are backed by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and its offshoot, the Popular Front of India, both Muslim fundamentalist parties that started growing their base in Karnataka after gaining a foothold in neighbouring Kerala. In Buntwal, Ramanatha Rai had said he wins only due to the Muslim votes. Subsequently, the SDPI withdrew from the contest and decided to support Rai and the Congress. Though the state government has received many representations to ban SDPI and PFI, Siddaramiah is yet to take any action. When this correspondent asked BJP chief Amit Shah about this, he put the onus on the Karnataka government saying the state had not sent any request to the Centre for such a ban.

Police said the complaint speaks of intimidation and obstruction of work and that efforts are on to trace the callers. But no FIR has been filed. Assistant Commissioner of Police (south) Rama Rao said it has not come to his notice yet. The paper has asked for police protection to allow them to continue their day to day work without fear. While the paper has not received any new threats, the police are yet to respond to its request for police protection.

It is pertinent to recall that in 2017, the police had filed a complaint against the paper, under IPC section 153A and 550(2) for causing disaffection in society among communities, for its report that the police had shown disrespect to the Holy Quran while raiding the home of one Khalandar Shafi who was wanted in the alleged murder of an RSS worker. The reporter Imtiyaz Thumbay, who had filed the copy and is still with the paper, had then been arrested and released on bail three days later. The company’s appeal before the High Court against the police action on the reporter and the editor is still pending.

M Raghuram is a Mangaluru-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.