Punia was taken into custody on Saturday while he was on an assignment to cover the clashes at the Singhu border.
Journalists in Delhi staged a demonstration in front of the new police headquarters in Patel Chowk area on Sunday afternoon to protest the arrest of Mandeep Punia, a freelancer and contributor to the Caravan magazine. Punia was taken into custody on Saturday while he was on an assignment to cover the clashes at the Singhu border, where farmers are protesting against the new agricultural laws. Protestors gathered outside the police headquarters were heard shouting slogans calling for Punia’s release. Some of them chanted “Patrakar Ekta Zindabad! [Long live the unity of journalists!]”. However, police personnel asked journalists to maintain coronavirus-induced protocols, including physical distancing. The protestors were also asked to disperse in view of the pandemic. The Delhi Police accused Punia of misbehaving with a station house officer on duty at the protest site in Singhu. Another journalist, Dharmender Singh from Online News India, was also picked by the police. However, Singh was released after he signed an undertaking, reported NDTV. Punia has been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 186 (obstructing a public servant from discharging public functions),353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from performing duties), and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt). Caravan magazine’s Political Editor Hartosh Singh Bal on Saturday said that they would take “whatever legal recourse” necessary. Several states have registered cases against journalists who have reported on the death of a farmer due to alleged police firing during a tractor rally on January 26.
