Journalists Reported Dalit Protest Arrested By Kerala Cops

Kerala police on Sunday arrested two journalists who were covering a Dalit protest in Ernakulam. The cops have also taken seven agitators who have been protesting for over a year, reports The News Minute. Two journalists, Ananthu Rajagopal and Abhilash Padacheri were arrested by Ramamangalam Police on Sunday morning for allegedly videographing the Dalit protest. Anathu Rajagopal is a reporter in The Deccan Chronicle and Abhilash Padacheri works as an editor in News Port.

The police confirmed to The News Minute that they had arrested the journalists and a few protesters, but refused to provide detailed information. The police informed Southlive that there were cases against Ananthu and Abhilash in connection with Maoist relations and they were probing the case. Asha Latha, one of the detained journalist’s mother posted on Facebook saying that she and her husband had been standing outside Ramamangalam police station since Sunday afternoon, but the police did not let them meet their son. “The police have accused them of standing with the protesters and sloganeering and recording live video,” she posted. Many people turned to social media demanding the release of the journalists.

The protest and its reason

160 Dalit families were protesting for over a year against the discrimination by Nair Service Society (NSS) since they built a cast wall on public ground. The wall was built on the ground near the Bhajanamadam Bhagavathi Temple, run by NSS. The agitators told The News Minute that construction of the wall was to block their entry into the temple.