Freelance journalist Prashant Kanojia, who was picked up by the Uttar Pradesh Police from his Delhi residence on Saturday, 8 June, for a social media post against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been arrested.
The FIR had said Kanojia was being charged under Section 500 (for defamation) of the IPC and Section 66 of the IT Act. However, a press note by the Uttar Pradesh Police after his arrest mentioned that Section 505 of the IPC (for spreading rumours) was added and Section 66 of the IT Act was being replaced by Section 67 (obscenity).
Listen to what Prashant Kanojia’s wife, who was present at the scene, has to say about the incident.
WHAT WAS THE SOCIAL MEDIA POST ABOUT
- Although the police refused to confirm which social media post Kanojia has been arrested for, the journalist had, on 6 June, shared a video on his Facebook profile where a woman is seen speaking to several reporters outside the CM’s office, alleging that she had been talking to Adityanath for nearly a year through video calls.
- The woman, in the video, repeatedly expresses her desire to marry the UP CM. She claims to have sent a document with her marriage proposal to CM Adityanath and said she is awaiting his response on it.
- Kanojia had shared the video on Facebook with a purported sarcastic remark of his own which said, “Yogi ji video chatting kar sakate ho, to ishq ka izahaar kyon nahin? Yogi ji aap daro nahin, mat socho samaaj kya kahega bas bhaag jao ham sab aapakee shaadee karava denge. (Yogi ji, if you can chat via video call, then why can’t you express your love? Yogi ji, don’t be afraid, don’t think what the society will say, just elope. We are all with you, we will get you married.)”
- He had tweeted the same video on 6 June with the caption “Ishq chupta nahin chupaane se yogi ji (You can’t hide love even if you want to, Yogi ji).”
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT KANOJIA’S ARREST
- On Saturday, 8 June afternoon, Kanojia was picked up from his Delhi home and taken to Lucknow by road. Speaking to The Quint, district police spokesperson Ashish Dwivedi said “it was within the powers of UP police” to arrest a Delhi resident.
- His wife, who was present at the time Kanojia was picked up, said the officials did not have any warrant. She added that the men were in civil clothes but identified themselves as being from the Hazratganj police station.
- The press note released by Hazratganj police station states that he was arrested after he confessed to his “crime” to the UP police.
- An FIR was registered against Kanojia by a sub-inspector at Hazratganj police station on Friday, 7 June, night.
- The sub-inspector had complained that Kanojia made "objectionable comments against the CM and tried to malign his image".
WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT IT
Hours after his arrest, Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party tweeted from their official handle condemning the police action against Kanojia. In an attack on the state BJP government, the tweet said, “A government that has failed to maintain law and order is now taking out its frustration on journalists.”
Many Twitter users including former JNU student leader Umar Khalid and several journalists also shared the news questioning the action taken by Uttar Pradesh Police.
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