3-day fast against Soorinje’s arrest

Bengaluru: The Forum against Illegal arrest of Journ­alists will hold a three-day fast to protest against the ‘illegal’ arrest of TV reporter Naveen Soorinje, from Saturday at Freedom Park in the city.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Mr Gangadhara Mudaliyar of Karnataka Working Journalists’ Association, said that journalists, writers and human rights activists will attend a three-day fast to bring pressure on the state government to withdraw all the false cases registered against Mr Soorinje.
Mr Ravi Krishna Reddy of Varthamaana said police have slapped several cases against Mr Soorinje under various sections of IPC, including unlawful assembly, rioting with deadly weapons, criminal trespass, house trespass, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons/means and criminal intimidation.
As a result of this manipulation of the law, Mr Soorinje was arrested on November 7, 2012 and has been in judicial custody ever since. “The listing of Mr Soorinje as an accused and not a witness, is not just an affront to press freedom but also a grave violation of his constitutionally guaranteed right to liberty and freedom of speech,” he charged.
He also alleged that even though several organizations have requested the government to direct the police to drop proceedings against Mr Soorinje, no action had been taken.
Many delegations of journalists have met the governor and the CM in this regard and submitted memorandums seeking his immediate release. The issue was also taken up with the home minister Mr R. Ashok on the floor of the assembly.