Former two terms president of Press Club of India and senior journalist Umakant Lakhera and Uttarakhand Journalist Forum condemn the arbitrary detention of a journalist at Kotdwar for the entire night in lockup

In Uttarakhand even journalists are not being spared for no fault of theirs now. The latest incident pertains to Kotdwar where a journalist namely Sudhanshu Thapliyal has reportedly been detained and put in the police lockup at Kotdwar police station for entire night till morning just because he had put a post in social media Facebook not allegedly suiting the ruling political dispensation. Not only was he put in lock up but his mobile phone was also confiscated and thereafter allegedly asked to sign some documents says a news report in Parvatjan a leading news portal of Uttarakhand. This arbitrary arrest of an independent journalist has led to uproar in the media fraternity with senior journalists expressing their immense annoyance and condemnation over this incident of a journalist’s arbitrary arrest for writing merely a social media post not suiting the ruling party thus amounting to stifling of media freedom and right to express/ wrote freely. The senior journalist and twice the President of Press Club of India, a leading organisation of top journalists of the country Umakant Lakhera has expressed his serious concern over this shameful incident of victimisation of a journalist in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand amounting to stifling of the freedom of speech and media freedom. Senior Journalist Lakhera while expressing his serious concern wrote on X : There is a state called Uttarakhand. Journalists are not safe there, there is no freedom to write and raise questions, then who is safe there? Kotdwar police illegally arrested a journalist for exposing the failures of those in power, snatched his mobile. If the police itself becomes the judge, then what are the courts for? asked the senior journalist of the national capital having been in active journalism for more than four decades. The Uttarakhand Journalist Forum also expressed its concern over the arbitrary arrest of the Kotdwar journalist condemning the police action in strongest possible terms tweeting : The Ukhand Journalists Forum is deeply concerned over the arbitrary detention of a journalist over his dissent against the ruling political dispensation through a post in social media. He was kept for a night in lock up and forced to sign some documents at Kotdwar reveals a news report. UJF further said : The media freedom seems to be at stake and those expressing their views not suiting to the ruling party are meeting such a horrible fate. This is highly condemnable said its PresidentSunil Negi.