Three press associations have expressed concern over the detention of several journalists in recent months in Bihar’s Vaishali and Muzaffarpur districts. It has also called on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar “to educate the administration and the police about the proper functioning of the media”.
“In these two districts, journalists have been implicated in spurious cases merely for their critical reporting, which has exposed the involvement of government officials in improprieties,” the Press Club of India, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, and Press Association, said in a statement on Monday.
The statement referred to two murders in Muzaffarpur and the recent arrest of YouTuber Mithun Mishra, who was held a day after he tried to report on flood management in the area. In Vaishali, it referred to FIRs or notices against six journalists, “some of whom are also affiliated with mainstream media outlets”.
Mishra was arrested while he was recording a clash between demonstrators, who were protesting over flood relief efforts, and the police on the NH-77 in Muzaffarpur. The FIR names over 20 accused.
“The Press Club of India calls for a thorough investigation into all these cases and insists that the police adhere to due process before filing FIRs.”
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