Tripura: Two women journalists held for violence report arrested

Agartala: The two women journalists who were detained by Assam’s Nilambazar police on the request of Tripura police have been arrested and brought back to Tripura, an official said. They are likely to be produced before the Udaipur CJM Court on Monday.

Speaking with EastMojo on the condition of anonymity, an official said a team of Tripura Police, including women personnel, had left for Karimganj district of Assam on Sunday, armed with special permission from court to arrest the two women journalists, Samriddhi K Sakunia and Swarna Jha, and bring them back to Agartala.

“They were brought back late at night and would be interrogated by the police in connection with a case registered under the Kakraban police station under a different section,” the official said.

Meanwhile, on Sunday evening after being detained at Nilambazar, the two journalists with HW News Network spoke with the media to share the account of what happened in Assam.

“We were on our way to Silchar airport from Tripura when the Assam police stopped our car and asked us to go with them. When we asked them they did not respond and kept us waiting. Later, they said that the Tripura police had asked them to stop us,” Sakunia said.

Later, when they inquired if the Assam police had an official order, the journalists were told that the same was done after an “official conversation” with the Tripura police.

“They arrived almost 3 and a half hours later and we asked them to stop as our lawyers were on their way but the police insisted on us going with them,” Sakunia added.

The duo also told reporters that they had come to Tripura for reporting on violence  from different locations.

“We did not take the permission in Gomati but in other places we had intimated the police and took security while reporting. We have not been shown any FIR copy and if we have not done anything wrong, then why are we being stopped,” Sakunia questioned.

She also told the reporters that during their stay at the hotels, she had identified herself as a student while Swarnna Jha did as a journalist.

“The VHP had filed an FIR against us in Fatikroy police station under which they were got bail and were asked to appear again on November 21 for interrogation. We are ready  to cooperate and  have no problem to go with  them but it’s already 6:21 and we are being taken to tripura which is not good,” Samriddhi added.

Siddique Ahmed, Congress MLA from Karimganj South assembly said that he had visited Tripura’s Panisagar area and oversaw the situation there.

“The two journalists travelling to Tripura for reporting on the violence is not a crime. I tried to speak with the Superintendent of Police in Tripura but he did not respond to my call. They are Indian and have not come from Nepal or other places. I hope the police and the government do justice to them,” Ahmed said.

Also read: Journalist bodies slam detention of 2 women journalists by Assam Police