Freedom of the press is under threat in Kerala. Police raided the offices of Marunadan Malayali, an online media house. And, laptops, cameras and computers and even monitors were seized. It is reported that they raided the houses of employees, including women, of the Marunadan Malayali. The gadgets also had been confiscated from them. They had to beg for their mobile phones. It is in connection with a case against Shajan Skaria, the editor-in-chief of the YouTube channel. Police could not nab him; he went underground. Since then, Shajan has been trying all legal steps to avoid arrest and consequent political vendetta.
Shajan of You Tube Awaits For Justice
But, the Supreme Court’s order, of July 10, stopping Shajan’s arrest until further order, is a silver line in the otherwise cloudy atmosphere the media fraternity faces in Kerala. It is an interesting episode. Shajan has been facing litigation in the wake of the complaint, lodged by CPM MLA P V Sreenijan, under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Even though Shajan did not obtain anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court (HC), Supreme Court (SC), on July 10, stopped his arrest until the next order. The apex court made it clear that Shajan is not guilty under the SC/ST Act. Shajan has taken no deliberate actions to violate this Act; no offence has occurred. It is reported that SC, in the past, had issued some directives with respect to actions to be taken under SC/ST Act.
Court says gadget of a media person cannot be confiscated
Shajan has been facing litigation in the wake of the complaint lodged by CPM MLA P V Sreenijan under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Even though Shajan did not obtain anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court, Supreme Court, on July 10, stopped his arrest until the next case was considered.
On the same day, Kerala High Court said that media is the fourth pillar of democracy. Mobile phones, etc., of a media person cannot be confiscated. The court can understand if the gadget of a criminal is confiscated, but not of a media person, since there is no case against him. That Shajan Sakaria is still not arrested is a failure of the police. Court asked police to submit an affidavit explaining the reason for confiscating the mobile phone of Visakh, a media person of Marunadan. Court wondered, how police can take action against a blameless.
Shajan Skaria has been a serious critic of CPM and the party-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government. His channel has been fighting against Islamists and their agendas. The strong and intransigent stand of Marunadan obviously invited the CPM’s wrath. Then came P.V. Sreenijan’s case under SC/ST Atrocities Act for the alleged video Shajan telecast against him.
Police Raid Shajan’s House, Confiscate Electronic Gadgets
The Kerala HC on Friday (June 30) rejected Shajan’s application for anticipatory bail. Immediately, police started to look for Shajan to arrest him. And, police started raids. Reports suggest that 32 laptops, ten computers, seven cameras, 12 mobile phones, memory cards, other electronic devices, etc., were confiscated from its offices at Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram. Four hard disks were also reportedly seized. The police had even raided the homes of Shajan’s relatives to smoke him out and arrest him. These actions look like tools to frighten the journalists and make them kneel and crawl. The police actions have invited widespread criticism.
Journalist Union downplays media gag
It is to be remembered, the same LDF and its supremo and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had supported Siddique Kappan when he was arrested under UAPA. He was accused of sedition and taking steps to promote enmity between different religions. The same LDF was shouting from the rooftops in favour of BBC when it telecasted the “India: The Modi Question”. The homes of SFI leaders K Vidya, Nikhil Thomas and Visakh were not raided when they went underground after they were accused of forgeries.
Here is the summary of the reaction of KUWJ (Kerala Union of Working Journalists), the most powerful and, better to say, the only organisation of working journalists in the state: “Police are free to conduct a probe against Shajan if he is facing a case. But it is highly deplorable that houses of journalists, including women, associated with Marunadan Malayali were raided”.
CPM’s cyber goons have threatened to kill the Trivandrum Press Club president. PV Anwar
leads the cyber attacks against media
Interestingly, no doubt, this is a ‘soft comment’. The same organisation had staged protests throughout the state and even in Delhi when Siddiq Kappan was arrested. The KUWJ had even approached the Supreme Court with a Habeas Corpus petition. But, no such enthusiasm for Shajan.
BJP Comes out in favour of Media Persons
BJP State president K Surendran asked the State Government to stop harassing media persons. He said that the threat of a ruling front MLA that media and media persons who criticise CPM and the government would be eliminated is shocking. He said that CM Pinarayi Vijayan tries to convert the condition in the state into that of China, where the establishment does not tolerate any media other than those who support the government. Surendran has alleged that CPM’s cyber blokes have threatened to kill the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club president. PV Anwar leads the cyber attacks against online media. His operations in the garb of protests against some online media are against the freedom of the press. It is because, the media exposed his illegal resort, check-dam and black money. Kerala is ruled by mafia and black money operators. It is being exposed day by day.
PV Anvar Takes to Social Media to threaten journalists
Now, PV Anvar has come out to threaten the media houses and journalists through his social media page. He has been uploading threatening posts one after another under his profile name. The posts are under the caption “Operation Clean Kerala”. One of his Facebook posts, bears a picture of a headless man and says ‘not to put your head in its place’, a veiled threat to other journalists that the fate of Shajan Skariah is in store for them.
Till recently, P V Anvar’s threat was only against online news portals. But, now, his guns are trained at mainstream media houses and journalists also. The language he uses against the media men is always objectionable. His threat is to silence the media houses by unleashing litigations against them. In one of his FB posts, he says that if anyone thinks he is intimidating, he asserts that it is intimidation; he does not mind saying that it is definitely intimidation. When the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) protested against the police raids in the houses of employees of Marunadan Malayali, MLA attacked the organisation through his FB profile.
The MLA alleged that some journalists, working in prominent media houses, write news under pseudonyms, another methodology to silence the journalists. The MLA’s Facebook posts are getting several supportive comments. Most of the comments sound like those of cyber comrades and fundamentalists. It gives the impression that this MLA enjoys the support of CM Pinarayi Vijayan when he threatens the journalists.
Kerala Union of Working Journalists, which had moved the Supreme Court for interim bail for Siddique Kappan, shows no such enthusiasm for other journalists drawing the ire of CPM
The crux of Anvar’s threats against the journalists is an array of litigations kept in store for them. He believes that these sorts of intimidation will prevent them from reporting against the LDF Government, his party and himself. Anvar is a businessman and politician, and MLA from Nilambur constituency. He was with the Congress party before joining the CPM. Encroachment of land and illegal construction have been alleged against him. There were reports that he has business interests in African countries. In 2021, comments and even trolls regarding the MLA’s visit to Africa ruled the roost in social media.
Observers believe Anvar enjoys the ‘money power’ and political clout to influence the media houses and journalists. They think, he uses the omnipotent tool of litigations and make them the sycophants of him and his party.
‘Media Hunt’ Continues In Kerala
Several other journalists have been facing similar litigations in Kerala under the LDF regime. The case filed against Akhila Nandakumar, Asianet News Chief Reporter, by the Kerala Police, is a direct attack on the Freedom of the Press and the Freedom of Speech and Expression, as guaranteed by Article 19 (1) (a) of the Indian Constitution. It was based on a complaint from SFI state secretary PM Arsho. It was in connection with the reports she delivered to her channel concerning the cases of SFI leaders K. Divya and Arsho. Divya, a former student of Maharaja’s College, was involved in the forgery of an experience certificate from Maharaja’s College and securing a teacher’s job in two colleges and was caught red-handed in the third institution. And, Arsho, a student in Maharaja’s College, Kochi, was in the midst of a controversy as he was declared passed in the university examinations despite not appearing for the examinations. Arsho claimed that he was innocent in the matter and he was a victim of a conspiracy. Unfortunately, it is reported that the police did not conduct a preliminary investigation before registering the case against Akhila.
Similarly, Vinu V John, a senior journalist in Asianet, faces a case concerning the programme he anchored on March 28, 2023. It was on the two-day national hartal called by the Left parties. A patient travelling in an auto rickshaw on the hartal day had to suffer harassment and inordinate delay, thanks to the aggressive communist cadres who stopped the vehicle. The incident took place in Malappuram. Left goons stopped the vehicle for defying the hartal, and they assaulted him. It was alleged that Vinu challenged CPM leader Ilamaram Kareem MP (RS). Vinu had criticised Kareem for simplifying the Malappuram incident.
And, Jayachandran Ilankath, Malayala Manorama Kollam Bureau chief, faces Crime Branch interrogation. It is reported that he invited the wrath of ‘some stakeholders’ for exposing the back door appointments at the Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited, A State Government-owned PSU.
Another incident involves Abjod Varghese, a newsreader of Asianet News. What is his fault? He read the news in connection with the complaint Solar accused Sarita Nair had lodged against Mullapalli Ramachandran in 2020. Asianet Executive Editor Sindhu Sooryakumar is charged in a POCSO case owing to allegations of making false documents and hatching a criminal conspiracy. Still, CPM, LDF and the CM claim that Kerala is Numero Uno with respect to press freedom!
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