Police search Asianet News office in Kozhikode based on MLA Anvar’s complaint

As per the complaint, the news channel used a minor girl for faking an interview.
Police and revenue officials inspecting the Kozhikode office of Asianet News channel on Sunday | Express
Police and revenue officials inspecting the Kozhikode office of Asianet News channel on Sunday | Express

KOZHIKODE:  Police conducted a search at the Asianet News channel’s Kozhikode office on Sunday based on a  complaint by MLA P V Anvar that the organisation fabricated an interview using a 14-year-old girl in a news related to drug addiction among children.

As per the complaint, the news channel used a minor girl for faking an interview. The girl, who is not the actual victim, claimed that her classmates used to sexually exploit her and used drugs. The news was aired on Asianet  News on November 10, 2022.

Anvar submitted the complaint against the news channel directly to  DGP Anil Kant and it was forwarded to the Vellayil police since the video was recorded at the  Kozhikode office of the news channel, which comes under the Vellayil police station limits in Kozhikode.

The police action comes after a group of Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists barged into the office of Asianet in Kochi on Friday alleging that the girl shown in the news story was not the actual victim and that the entire interview was fabricated. 

The inspection began at 10.30 am and ended at 2.30 pm on Sunday at the office located on PT Usha Road in  Kozhikode. The police have registered a case against the Executive Editor of the news channel Sindhu Surya Kumar, Resident Editor Shahjahan, and reporter Noufal Bin Yusaf under the provisions of the Pocso Act and IPC for making a false document and criminal conspiracy. 

A team led by Additional SP L Surendran, District Crime Branch ACP V Suresh, Kozhikode land revenue tahsildar C Sreekumar and cyber cell experts conducted the search. The police checked the video footage stored on the computers in the office. The inspection was carried out using the special powers of the police without a search warrant. “Police haven’t seized anything from the office. We have collected the details of the staff,” said Additional SP L Surendran.

No difference between Modi and Pinarayi: Oppn
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on Sunday alleged that there is no difference between Narendra Modi raiding the BBC office with the ED and Pinarayi raiding Asianet with the crime branch. He claimed that with the raid on a television channel the chief minister has proved that he is the ‘mundu’ wearing version of Modi.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Satheesan said that the government has become very intolerant and claims that anyone protesting against it is Naxalites, urban Naxalites, Maoists,  and suicide squads. This is very similar to the response of the Modi government, he added.

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