Not carrying Press card cannot be grounds for case or arrest, argues Mandeep Punia's lawyer

New delhi: The Delhi Police on Monday told a city court that arrested freelance journalist Mandeep Punia was allegedly "instigating the protestors" with his "slogans and shouting" at the Singhu border and was "trying to mislead the police" by allegedly concealing his identity.

The response was given before the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Satbir Singh Lamba during Punia's bail hearing, following which the court reserved the order for Tuesday (today) at 4 pm.

In their response to Punia's bail plea, police stated, "Interrogation was done with accused Mandeep who was concealing his identity and tried to mislead the police". They added, "During investigation, it came to be known that accused Mandeep Punia was instigating the protestors with his slogans and shouting," adding that MLCs of injured police personnel showed the injuries as "simple in nature".

Punia, a contributor with The Caravan magazine, in his bail plea had argued that the offences in the FIR are not made out against him and that the "FIR was registered at around 1: 21 am despite him being allegedly part of a scuffle at around 6:40 pm the previous evening". He highlighted a 7-hour difference in the filing of the FIR despite the victim and complainant being a police officer.

Punia, represented by Advocates Sarim Naved, Akram Khan and Kamran Javed, had argued that he was merely carrying out his "journalistic duties" and that another journalist, Dharmender Singh, who was detained along with him was released around midnight and the reason for differential treatment given by police was that he was not carrying a press card.

"Accused is a freelance journalist and not carrying a Press card can be no grounds for a case or arrest," the bail plea read.

Punia, who was arrested on January 30 from the Singhu border where farmers have been protesting for over three months against the three farm laws, has been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) relating to assaulting and obstructing a public servant from carrying out his duty, among

others.

Submitting that the bail plea of Punia should be dismissed, police said that "he may again indulge in instigating the protestors and create nuisance at the protest site with his group of different people". They further alleged that during the investigation, Punia allegedly neither cooperated nor revealed any names of his associates.

"The accused tried to break the barricades and had a scuffle with police personnel deputed on heavy and highly sensitive law and order arrangement," police said, adding that he may "create any active or passive nuisance and law and order issue and hamper the investigation, if released on bail".

Meanwhile, after a group of journalists' associations called for Punia's immediate release, the Editor's Guild of India also issued a statement in support of the freelance journalist.