[Reader-list] BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh arrested a Delhi-basedJournalist

[radhikarajen at vsnl.net]

Losten my friend, he is journalist, that does not mean he is above the law, he can do anything to go anywhere and even sheltor, support and shield the few fanatics because he is journalist, that is when conflict of interest comes in free India, when religion is used to propagate hatred, to foist violence, like the SIMI now banned does. If system of governance arrests a few, who are in subversion of laws, planning violent acts in the guise of religion and its freedom, laws have to take care of such deviant behaviour in free society. Be it a hindu, muslim or any faith, group of individuals who are traitors to the society for the "religion" are not citizens who deserve to be spared as law has to take care of such deviant behaviour., irrespective of the system of governance, or the political party that rules the state, why is it that some point out such incidents as if system is against the faith, but not against lawless behaviour by "journalist. ?

Regatrds.

----- Original Message -----
From: arshad amanullah <arshad.mcrc at gmail.com>
Date: Monday, April 7, 2008 10:42 pm
Subject: [Reader-list] BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh arrested a	Delhi-basedJournalist
To: reader-list at sarai.net

> www.milligazette.com
> 
> New Delhi, 7 April 2008: Late last evening the police
> in the BJP-ruled state of Madhya Pradesh arrested a
> Delhi-based journalist who had gone there to report on
> recent arrests in the state.
> 
> The journalist is Mr Nadim Ahmad, a staffer of The
> Milli Gazette fortnightly English-language newspaper
> published from Delhi since 2000.
> 
> Ahmad was arrested by the police early 6 April evening
> in village Aroda/Choral under Balwada Police Station,
> Distt Khargone, Indore Range. Contact with Ahmad was
> possible until late in the evening on his mobile phone
> (# 09911334768). However, since this morning he is not
> picking up his phone while Police Inspector Sunil
> Visthre (mobile # 09926670086), who took Ahmad in
> custody, is not responding to calls on his mobile.
> Enquiries with highest police officials in Indore have
> failed to help trace the whereabout of the arrested
> journalist. The Milli Gazette editor, Dr Zafarul-Islam
> Khan, has written in this matter to Mr Shivraj Patil,
> the Union Home Minister, MP Governor Mr Balram Jhakar,
> MP Chief Minister Mr Shivraj Singh Chauhan, MP home
> minister Mr. Himmat Kothari, as well as to top police
> officials in MP state.
> 
> If the journalist remains untraceable, Dr Khan plans
> to file a habeas corpus suit in the Supreme Court of
> India tomorrow, 8 April.
> 
> [end]
> 
> Issued by The Milli Gazette
> D-84 Abul Fazal Enclave-I
> Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110 025
> Tel. (011) 26942883, 26947483, 26952825
> Email: edit at milligazette.com <edit%40milligazette.com>
> Website: www.milligazette.com
> 
> Following is the text of the letter sent by Dr
> Zafarul-Islam Khan, Editor, The Milli Gazette, on 7
> April 2008 via fax, email and courier to a number of
> central and MP state authorities:
> 
> "This is to inform you that we are a registered
> English-language fortnightly newspaper published
> regularly since January 2000 (registered RNI number
> DELENG/2000/930). A few days back we sent Mr Nadim
> Ahmad, one of our full-time staff reporters, to
> Sarangpur, Madhya Pradesh, to report on communal
> violence there. At about same time news of arrests of
> alleged SIMI members also came from an adjacent area
> in the state, so I instructed him to go to Indore as
> well to report on the situation there and to visit
> some places from where arrests were made. Mr Ahmad
> reached Indore yesterday, 6 April 2008, and after
> making enquiries about the location of the concerned
> areas, went to village Aroda/Choral under Balwada
> Police Station, Distt Khargone, Indore Range (Thana
> phone No. 07280-261237) whose in-charge is Town
> Inspector Mr Sunil Visthre (mobile no. 09926670086).
> Inspector Visthre spoke to me last night at around 8-9
> pm using Mr Ahmad's mobile no. 09911334768 asking why
> he was in the area. It was explained to him that Mr
> Ahmad was a full-time staff reporter of this paper and
> he was there at my instructions to report on the
> recent arrests. Inspector Visthre told me that there
> was nothing to worry about and Mr Ahmad is helping
> enquiries and he is not under arrest.
> 
> My last contact with Ahmad was at 11.06 pm yesterday
> (6 April 08) on his mobile phone in which he said he
> is alright and was answering questions by the police;
> Inspector Visthre also spoke to me over the same phone
> at that time and told me that there is nothing to
> worry about as they were only trying to establish the
> reason why Mr Nadim was in the area.. Mr Nadim Ahmad's
> last call was at 1.28 am on 7-4-08 which I could not
> receive as I had gone to bed by that time. In the
> morning I tried to contact Mr Ahmad using his mobile
> number but there was no response. Thereafter, I phoned
> Balwada Thana at the above phone number and was
> informed that Inspector Visthre has taken Mr Ahmad to
> Indore in the morning at 6 AM. Efforts to contact Mr
> Ahmad since then have failed; Inspector Visthre too is
> not taking up calls to his mobile. After this, I
> phoned Indore Superintendent of Police Mr Anshuman
> Yadav on his mobile no. 09425115144 at 11.30 am (7
> April 08). He told me that he had no information about
> this matter.
> 
> As of now, my apprehension is that Mr Nadim Ahmad has
> been arrested and kept under custody at an unknown
> place for no reason whatsoever as he was only
> discharging his duties as a journalist to investigate
> matters of common and media interest. I fear that
> under the current charged atmosphere in the state of
> Madhya Pradesh, Mr Ahmad may have been falsely
> implicated in some matter and illegally deprived of
> his liberty. I request you to immediately intervene in
> this matter and ensure the freedom of press guaranteed
> by our Constitution and laws."
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