Delhi: Journalist questioned in 2020 assault case in Bhajanpura

Four years after three journalists and a group of residents in NorthEast Delhis Bhajanpura area accused each other of assault police have questioned one of the scribes in the caseThe journalist Prabhjit Singh who works with The Caravan was served a notice on June 3 and asked to join the probe on June 7 a senior police officer said on SaturdayDeputy Commissioner of Police NorthEast Joy Tirkey said Singh joined the probe at Bhajanpura Police Station on June 7 and his statement was recordedFurther investigations in the matter is underway he saidGiving details of the case the officer said on August 11 2020 at about 3 PM a PCR call was received at Bhajanpura police station about an altercation involving some media personsAccording to the journalists the incident occurred when they had gone to report a story in BhajanpuraBoth parties filed separate complaints against each other after which two separate FIRs were registered the police saidSingh had alleged that a woman reporter accompanying him was assaulted and molested by some persons at Subhash Mohalla in Bhajanpura the officer saidHe said Singh did not mention the names of the accused in his complaintA woman resident also had filed a written complaint regarding the incident alleging Prabhjit Singh and his two fellow reporters including Shahid Tantray assaulted her and her husbandHe said the complainant also alleged the trio did negative reporting promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religionThe officer said from the woman residents statement was recorded before the magistrate but the woman reporter has not joined the investigation so farThe Caravan in a statement said it was a worrying development and neither it nor the named journalists were informed of any such FIR for four yearsIt claimed that on 11 August 2020 a mob assaulted three journalists working with it Shahid Tantray Prabhjit Singh and a woman journalist in northeast Delhis Subhash Mohalla neighbourhoodThe journalists were subjected to communal slurs and threatened with murder the woman reporter was sexually harassed the magazine allegedThese are shocking and worrying developments The allegations in the FIR are absolutely false and fabricated For four years neither The Caravan nor the named journalists were ever informed of any such FIR it saidAlthough our complaints were filed on the day of the incident itself the police did not register our FIR until three days later on 14 August 2020 The police have informed us that our FIR is being considered a counter FIR it addedWe have joined the investigation and intend to comply fully with the due process of law We will exercise our rights under the law to challenge these false accusations and have them dismissed the statement addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever