Haryana khap plans Oct. 22 sit-in over news anchor’s arrest

The Binaian khap in Haryana’s Jind has announced an indefinite sit-in from October 22 to demand the release of news anchor Sudesh Nain, arrested along with four others in a case involving an alleged fake sting operation and blackmail.

The news channel had run a story alleging rise in drug abuse in Chief Minister Nayab Saini’s Assembly constituency Ladwa.

Announcing the decision at a meeting in Jind on Thursday, khap president Raghubir Nain said the agitation would be led by the khap leadership, with participation from khaps across North India, farmers’ organisations, employees’ unions and other workers’ organisations. He said that Ms. Sudesh, a resident of a local village, was their “own daughter”.

Mr. Raghubir said the khap had given the government an ultimatum on October 12 to release Ms. Sudesh by October 14 and cancel the FIR registered against her. However, he alleged that the government has ignored the demand and public sentiment.

Mr. Raghubir also accused the government of attempting to “silence the press”. He said Ms. Sudesh had conducted a sting operation to expose the drug menace and should have been encouraged rather than arrested. “The government says it will eradicate drugs, but when our daughter conducts a sting operation to expose the menace, she is arrested,” he said, alleging that the action was contrary to the government’s stated commitment to tackle drug abuse.

In a press statement following the arrest on October 10, the Kurukshetra police had said that five office-bearers of the news channel were arrested in connection with the alleged broadcast of a six-month-old video, recorded in relation to a personal matter between two individuals, as “fake live sting operation”. Superintendent of Police Chander Mohan said the complainant alleged that the national news channel had presented his old personal video, dated April 16, as a “fake live sting operation” and subsequently blackmailed him.

Questioning the arrests, Congress’ Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda, had in a tweet, said the journalists were “arrested merely because they revealed the truth about the rising drug menace in Ladwa, the CM’s constituency.