Several journalists were detained by Delhi Police while covering a protest and security deployment in central Delhi on Saturday, with reporters alleging that they were pushed into buses, threatened, had phones seized and were forced to delete video footage.
Two journalists from Navbharat Times, Ritik Joshi and Rahul Charas, said they were detained near Minto Bridge despite wearing visible press identity cards and repeatedly identifying themselves as reporters. They were taken along with protesters to Maurice Nagar police station.
Joshi said he and Charas had left their office in ITO at about 11am to cover the protest and had deliberately worn light-coloured shirts so their red press cards would be visible to police personnel. Several barricades had been placed along the route towards Connaught Place, he said, while a heavy police presence had been deployed.
According to Joshi, the journalists began recording a group of protesters approaching from the New Delhi railway station side. He said a police officer ran towards Charas, grabbed his arm and ordered him to board a bus. The journalists showed their identity cards and said they were reporting on the protest, but were still taken away.
Joshi said another officer told him to get into the bus quietly. The two journalists informed their office, after which a senior police officer called and spoke to personnel involved in taking them away. They were reportedly told that they would be released on the way.
The bus took the journalists to Maurice Nagar police station. Joshi said protesters escaped from the bus through its windows after it reached the station, following which police allowed the two journalists to leave. Charas said he had been pushed and forced into the vehicle after trying to show his identity card.
Another newspaper journalist interviewed in the report said he walked from ITO to Mandi House at about 2pm, where a small group of journalists and lawyers had gathered. He said police allowed some media personnel to move around but warned them against recording videos. The journalist alleged that Rapid Action Force personnel took his phone, tore off his press tag and made him delete a video showing them resting. He said he was later pushed into a waiting bus while recording again, but a Delhi Police officer noticed his press card and allowed him to leave.
The report also said two journalists working with Scroll were detained. Ayush Tiwari was detained in central Delhi, while political editor Shoaib Daniyal was picked up near CR Park. The account did not include a detailed response from Delhi Police to the allegations made by the journalists.
The detentions took place amid extensive barricading and security deployment across parts of central Delhi as police managed the protest. The reported movement of journalists and protesters into detention buses affected the ability of media workers to document events at locations including Minto Bridge, Mandi House and areas near Connaught Place. Further clarification from Delhi Police on the detentions, the alleged seizure of phones and the deletion of footage remains awaited.
