JournalismPakistan.com | Published May 03, 2017
Join our WhatsApp channel
NEW DELHI - Indian authorities should identify and discipline New Delhi police officers who assaulted journalist Meghnad Bose, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
Bose, a reporter with The Quint, a news website, was broadcasting a Facebook Live video outside the city's Jamia Milia Islamia University, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was receiving an honorary doctorate when police assaulted Bose, the journalist said.
“Authorities should swiftly discipline the police officers responsible for assaulting Meghnad Bose simply for doing his job,” CPJ Asia Program Director Steven Butler said from Washington, D.C. “The police should train officers to protect the legal activities of journalists, and not to harass them.”
Bose told CPJ that he and his colleague, Aqib Raza Khan, were about to finish the broadcast with students and alumni at around 5 p.m. when police asked them to move into the campus. Security guards at the university gates would not let them enter, he said.
“At that point, a Delhi Police officer comes in from behind and gives me a tight slap on the face,” Bose told CPJ. “Three other cops held me, pushed me inside the gates and pulled me towards the vehicle. The officer again comes in from behind and slaps me thrice on my face.”
Police confiscated the mobile phone from which the Facebook Live video was being broadcast and his colleague’s personal mobile phone, Bose added.
Bose said police detained the two in a police van for roughly 30 minutes, then took them to the Jamia Nagar police station.
At the police station, officers tried to “normalize and trivialize the situation…An inspector said, ‘Think of it as if a father was beating his son. It is good for experience. Nothing personal against you.’”
Police returned their phones to the pair and released them soon after. After fellow journalists reported the incident on Twitter, Romil Baaniya, a deputy commissioner of police, called Bose to say that “whatever happened was wrong,” Bose told CPJ.
Baaniya did not respond to CPJ’s phone calls seeking comment, and no one responded to CPJ’s phone calls to the New Delhi Police’s public relations office.
Police in February beat journalists covering a fight between rival student groups outside Delhi University's Ramjas College, CPJ reported at the time. Police in January 2016 beat an independent photojournalist covering protests for The Caravan magazine, the photographer told CPJ. - A CPJ news alert
June 11, 2025: Pakistan celebrated a narrow win over Bangladesh, but beneath the jubilation lies a deeper crisis—from sidelined veterans to a collapsing domestic structure—signaling an urgent need for cricket reform.
June 11, 2025: Journalists walked out of the post-budget press conference in Islamabad to protest the absence of a technical briefing and the government's dismissive behavior, calling it unacceptable and intolerable.
May 31, 2025: Dr. Nauman Niaz has issued a defamation notice to Shoaib Akhtar over derogatory remarks made during a recent broadcast, reigniting a longstanding media feud between the two prominent figures in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has demanded the full repeal of PECA, citing its vague language, coercive powers, and threats to free speech and digital rights in Pakistan.
May 30, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the murder of journalist Syed Mohammed Shah in Jacobabad, calling for urgent justice and improved safety for media professionals in Sindh.
May 26, 2025: In Rawalpindi, police allegedly side with Jang Group to block 66 reinstated employees from resuming work despite court orders, drawing sharp criticism from unions and press freedom advocates.
May 25, 2025: PFUJ condemns the Jang Group's decision to dismiss over 80 employees in Rawalpindi, calling it an 'economic massacre.' The union warns of nationwide protests if workers are not reinstated.
May 25, 2025: Daily Jang Rawalpindi has terminated over 80 employees, including female staff, despite multiple court rulings in their favor—raising concerns over labor rights violations and misuse of authority in Pakistani media.
May 19, 2025 PJS reports 219 Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, with 30 women among the victims. Over 430 were injured and 685 family members were killed. Read more on the systematic targeting of media in Gaza.
May 15, 2025 Discover the legacy of Samiullah Khan, Pakistan’s legendary "Flying Horse," whose breathtaking speed and artistry redefined hockey. From Olympic glory to World Cup triumphs, his story is one of myth, movement, and magic.
May 04, 2025 Algerian authorities suspend Echorouk News TV for 10 days after it used a racist slur against African migrants. ANIRA demands an apology, calling it a violation of human dignity.
May 04, 2025 NCHR and MMfD launch a journalism fellowship to train reporters on digital rights & gender inclusion in Pakistan. Supported by UNESCO, this initiative aims to bridge the gender digital divide. Apply by May 15, 2025!
April 23, 2025 Discover Dr. Nauman Niaz’s In A Different Realm: Story of Quadruple & Triple Centuries 1876–2025, a profound exploration of cricket's most monumental innings, blending historical analysis with poetic narrative.