The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Monday, 21 March, took to Twitter to condemn the arrest and "torture" of Agra-based journalist Gaurav Bansal.
"The Editors Guild of India is shocked by the manner in which an Agra-based journalist, Gaurav Bansal, was arrested and allegedly tortured for reporting about electoral malpractices in the recent Assembly elections," the statement read.
It also noted allegations by Bansal's lawyer that the journalist was "given third degree torture and humiliated by police officers", and expressed concern that penal laws are being used often to harass and intimidate journalists from freely reporting on sensitive issues.
The guild demanded an independent court-monitored inquiry to look into the matter, and demanded that Bansal be released from custody immediately.
In conclusion, the guild urged the state government to ensure that the rights of media personnel are protected and that journalists are not harassed from doing their job fearlessly.
Bansal's Arrest
39-year-old Bansal was arrested in Agra on Tuesday, 15 March, for alleging that EVM's were being replaced while the counting of votes for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election was ongoing, The Indian Express reported.
The journalist was charged for misbehaving with police personnel and was apprehended outside a counting centre in UP's Agra.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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