FIRs Against Himachal Pradesh Scribes For Reporting On State Government's Shortcomings

Journalists in Himachal Pradesh are under fire from the state government for reporting on issues that held the later accountable, the Newslaundry reported. Journalists from Chamba, Mandi, Kullu, Solan have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The first case was registered against scribe Om Sharma, a reporter at Divya Himachal, for allegedly spreading "sensational/fake news on social media". On the evening of March 29, Sharma went live on his Facebook page, showing the plight of dozens of migrants, who protested on the roadside near the industrial area of Baddi, raising their concern over unavailability of ration.

In the live video, Sharma mentioned that the administration has not made any arrangements for the stranded workers who have been surviving without food grains for the past two-three days. "I request local charitable organisations to step forward and help out these people," Sharma said in the video.

So, after Sharma started the live video, police and local politicians reached the spot and asked workers to head back home, quoting the protest as a 'drama'. As per the report a Bharatiya Janata Party councillor can be seen saying, "We'll make sure the food reaches you. Give us some time. On behalf of the administration, I assure you that food will reach your homes."

Further in the video, the councillor turned to Sharma claiming that people were protesting only because they didn't receive a new batch of ration, unlike the neighbouring colony. The worker on the side said that had that been the case, they wouldn't be protesting on the roadside.

The Baddi Police later filed an FIR against Sharma, after the video went viral on social media. The authorities claimed the video as a fabricated report and said that the District Administration is making all the arrangements required for homeless people, with food grains being distributed by different teams.

Sharma has been booked under Article 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and four other sections of the Indian Penal Code. This is the first-ever FIR registered against Sharma, in his tenure of 16 years in the reporting field.

Another FIR that was filed against Sharma for sharing Hindi daily Amar Ujala's article which said that the government will book businesses and factories if in case any employee tested positive for COVID-19. The claim was denied by the government and later, the report was also taken down from the agency's website.

The third FIR was slapped on April 27 for holding the local administration accountable for creating confusion whether the shops can be raised or not, during relaxation hours provided by the Solan District magistrate.

From Mandi, journalist Ashwani Saini has been booked five times since the lockdown. Saini shot a video for Mandi Live, where workers told Saini that they had not received a second round of rations during the lockdown and had informed the local authorities many times.

A reporter for Punjab Kesari, Somdiv Sharma has been booked for reporting administration's negligence in quarantining interstate returnees. Vishal Anand, a journalist based out of Dalhousie, has two FIRs on him.

Jagat Bains, a reporter with News18 Himachal, has three FIRs against him for allegedly 'spreading rumours' about government's laxity on lockdown strategies.

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