Hindu editor booked for news report on DGP's visit to Baba
The Hyderabad city police registered cases against The Hindu resident editor S Nagesh Kumar on Tuesday in connection with a news report published in the newspaper on the visit of director-general of police V Dinesh Reddy to the old city of Hyderabad to meet Baba Idrus Habib recently.
Following a complaint by KV Ram Narasimha Reddy, assistant commissioner of police and president of AP Police Gazetted Officers Association, the Punjagutta police registered cases under Sections 505 (1) (b) (c) (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the state or against the public tranquility) and 469 (Forgery for purpose of harming reputation) of IPC; and Section 3 of the Police Incitement to Disaffection Act-1922 (Whoever intentionally causes or attempts to cause, or does any act which he knows is likely to cause disaffection).
In his complaint, Reddy alleged that the news report was false and published without any basis and verification of facts.
‘’This space in the front page of a national newspaper has to be cleared by the Editor in Hyderabad because this is normally reserved for matters of high national importance or a statement made by Prime Minister or Chief Minister and certainly not for such insignificant scandal like the one that is published,’’ the complainant said.
Alleging that the report was published with a malafide intention, the ACP said, ‘’The visit of Dinesh Reddy is in tune with the communique sent by the ministry of home affairs after the recent incidents in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh and to see that the concerns of various religious communities are taken care of to avoid any unpleasant and untoward incidents to occur in the already trouble-stricken state of Andhra Pradesh.’’
The complainant further said that in order to protect the interests of the public at large and for the purpose of maintenance of law and order during the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi and ‘nimajjanam’, such visits of police officers can, in no way, be questioned or doubted.
Leader of the opposition and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu condemned registration of cases against Nagesh Kumar, saying that such acts amounted to attack on the freedom of press.