Lucknow/Thiruvananthapuram: The Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested a Keralite journalist and three other people in Mathura while they were on their way to Hathras, home to a Dalit woman who died after being allegedly gang-raped.
The Uttar Pradesh police had on Monday said it has arrested four people having links with the Popular Front of India and its affiliate in Mathura. The PFI had been accused of funding protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act across the country earlier this year and the UP police had sought a ban on the outfit.
The police had identified the arrested persons as Siddique Kappan from Kerala's Malappuram, Atiq-ur Rehman from Muzaffarnagar, Masood Ahmed from Bahraich and Alam from Rampur.
Hours after the arrest, a prominent journalist body of Kerala identified Malappuram native Siddique by his full name as Siddique Kappan, saying he is "a senior Delhi-based journalist, working for several Malayalam media houses, including azhimukham.com".
Reacting to Kappan's arrest, the Delhi unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking his release, saying he was going to Hathras only to perform his duty as a reporter.
Terming Kappan's arrest as illegal and unconstitutional, the KUWJ also filed a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking his immediate production before the court and release from the "illegal detention".
Kappan is also the KUWJ's secretary and was proceeding to Hathras only to do his duty as a reporter, KUWJ's Delhi unit president Miji Jose told the chief minister in his letter, urging him to order his release.
"We understand that he was taken into custody by Uttar Pradesh police from Hathras toll plaza. Our efforts and the efforts by some advocates based in Delhi to contact him were not successful," KUWJ said.
The Hathras police station and the state police have not provided any information so far on Kappan's arrest, it added.
"Mr Kappan was trying to do his duty as a reporter. We urge you to get him released at the earliest," KUWJ urged the UP chief minister.
The Uttar Pradesh police, meanwhile, said it has also seized from the arrested people their mobile phones, laptops and some literature, which could have an impact on peace and law and order.
During interrogation, it came to light that the four arrested people had links with the PFI and its associate organisation Campus Front of India, the UP police had claimed.
Hathras has been in the news following the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman who was allegedly gang-raped on September 14 in a village in the district. And her cremation at night, allegedly without the parents' consent, has triggered widespread outrage.
Kerala journalists' body moves SC over arrest of scribe
The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has moved the Supreme Court against the arrest of Sidhique Kappan by UP Police in Mathura while he was on way to Hathras.
Terming the arrest as illegal and unconstitutional, the journalists' body has filed the habeas corpus petition seeking his immediate production and release from "illegal detention".
The plea states that the arrest was made in violation of the mandatory guidelines laid down by apex court and with the sole intention of obstructing the discharge of duty by a journalist.
The petition alleged that family members or the colleagues have not been informed of the arrest of his arrest.
(With inputs from PTI)
