Journalist Mandeep Punia Alleges BJP-Delhi Police Nexus in Singhu Violence, Arrested

The Delhi Police have arrested freelance journalist Mandeep Punia who had, prior to his arrest, had accused BJP workers of unleashing violence at the farmers’ protest site in Singhu on Friday in a Facebook live session.

The police, however, have said that the arrest follows his alleged “misbehaviour” with a station house officer (SHO) at the Singhu border on Saturday.

Punia is a contributor to the Caravan magazine and was on an assignment to cover the clashes that broke out at Singhu on Friday. Another journalist, Dharmender Singh, was also briefly picked up and later let go after he showed his press ID, police said.

In the Facebook live session, Punia had spoken about Delhi Police and BJP workers’ “nexus” and had tried to establish links of the perpetrators of the violence with the saffron party with the help of purported photographic evidence.

He had said, “[On Friday], a group of 50-60 people had come to the site with a tricolour. They started abusing the farmers. They threatened the farmers and said that they will teach them a lesson. Then, they started pelting the farmers with the stones.”

Punia had further alleged that despite deployment of 4,000-5,000 police personnel at the site, the mob could go on and it tried to burn the farmers’ tents, their mattresses, and even the women’s tent erected at the site.

Hartosh Singh Bal, the political editor of Caravan magazine, tweeted that a first information report has been filed under Sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code.

“We’ll take whatever legal recourse is necessary. We’ve learnt Mandeep had spent the morning trying to track down those from BJP claiming to be ‘locals’ at Singhu,” added Bal.

On Friday, clashes had broken out between farmers and a large group of men claiming to be local residents who hurled stones at Singhu, one of the main protest sites against the newly enacted farm laws.

Punia will be produced in the court later in the day, according to an IANS report.

Also read: ‘Repeal of Farm Laws Will be Real Tribute to Farmers who Died Protesting’