Times Now Navbharat’s Mrityunjay Kumar and Parminder Singh have recounted their harrowing experience while in judicial custody in Punjab. The duo, along with reporter Bhawana Kishore, were covering a political event presided over by Delhi CM in Ludhiana on May 5 when they were arrested in a fabricated case of a road accident.
The arrests were made in retaliation against their coverage of the inordinate expenditure on the interior decoration of Delhi Chief Minister’s residence. The Punjab and Haryana High Court granted them interim bail on May 9, stating that the arrests were illegal and that the authorities failed to consider relevant provisions of the law.
Recounting their experiences, the duo narrated that while parked on the road side, an auto rickshaw, with two ladies believed to be AAP workers, first rammed into their Stationary car from behind and broke the side mirror of the car. When Parminder, the driver, stepped out to enquire, the ladies created a ruckus and summoned the local police who were already at the location for Bandobast duty. The trio were then coerced by the all male Police force and abruptly taken to the police station without any explanation and without consideration that one of the crew members was a Woman.
A statement issued by the channel, read, “Mrityunjay and Parminder have undergone a painful ordeal, enduring mistreatment from the very authorities whose responsibility it is to safeguard their rights. Their distressing encounters, filled with emotional turmoil, depict a deeply moving story for an offense never committed and even if allegedly done is in fact classified ‘bailable’.”
“The shock and disbelief that gripped Mrityunjay and Parminder when they discovered they were being arrested for crimes they did not commit was unfathomable. They were thrust into a nightmarish realm, an overcrowded barrack filled with hardened criminals, including thieves, drug addicts, and individuals convicted of various offenses. Forced to endure 5 excruciating nights, their basic human dignity was stripped away,” added the statement.
Adding to the anguish, Mritunjay’s son was undergoing brain tumor surgery during this tumultuous period and he had no access to his family at that crucial time. The weight of fear, hopelessness, and helplessness bore down on them as they were completely cut off from the outside world, deprived of any information or updates regarding their case.
The illegal arrest and traumatic ordeal endured by Mritunjay and Parminder have left indelible emotional & psychological scars on them and their families. The humiliation and damage to esteem they experienced while in custody, for offences they never committed, is irrepairable.
These distressing events underscore the torment and harassment inflicted upon the Times Now Navbharat team in the aftermath of “Operation Sheesh Mahal”. The Channel stated that it is committed to stand up to such bullying tactics at all times and will stay unfazed.
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