By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, March 8, 2025: The Press Club of India on March 7 condemned what they said was “the wrongful arrest” of Sudhanshu Thapliyal, a journalist working in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.
“We are deeply concerned that dozens of journalists across the state are being threatened for speaking and writing the truth. Even the fundamental right to freedom of expression, as enshrined in the Constitution, is being curtailed on social media platforms,” said a statement the club issued along with the Delhi Union of Journalists and Indian Women Press Corps.
Tripathi was arrested on January 29 at Kotdwar for a four-line post on the administration’s failure to arrest those responsible for the death of a young woman in a road accident.
Before taking him into custody, the police seized his mobile phone, denied him contact with a lawyer or acquaintances, and unlawfully detained him in lockup overnight, the March 7 statement explained.
“His persecution by the police is totally condemnable,” the statement asserted and said, the “actions of the state government, administration, and police force constitute a direct assault on fundamental rights and press freedom, asserted the statement.”
The Uttarakhand Journalists’ Union has expressed solidarity with Thapliyal, alongside journalists across the state.
Journalists in the state have already submitted a memorandum to the Director General of Police, demanding an impartial investigation and strict action against all police officers involved in this unlawful midnight arrest. The DGP has assured journalists of a high-level investigation within a week.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand High Court has taken cognizance of the matter and sought a response from the state government.
The statement condemned “the anti-media stance of the state government, the use of criminal defamation against journalists and demand concrete measures to ensure the safety and protection of journalists in Uttarakhand including withdrawal of the false cases registered against Sudhanshu Thapliyal.”