Journalists report fresh detentions during Delhi protests

About a dozen journalists were detained while covering protests in central Delhi on October 11, The Hindu reported. Some alleged force was used. Police attributed possible detentions to confusion caused by reporters' proximity to demonstrators.

Those detained included Shashwat, Siya and Vijay Kumar from The Indian Express's Hindi edition. They said they displayed press cards but were taken into a bus nonetheless. They were released after approximately 45 minutes near Chhatrasal Stadium, almost 12 kilometres from where they were picked up.

Peek TV reporters Vedanta Agarwal and Sara Khan also said police intervened as they filmed protesters being detained. Khan alleged that an officer grabbed her neck and pushed her. This is her account of the incident, rather than a judicial finding.

An unnamed senior Delhi Police official told The Hindu that reporters might have been detained because they stayed close to demonstrators during the operation. He urged journalists to maintain distance. Police separately attributed their use of force to some protesters refusing to follow instructions.

The second day of demonstrations demanded an end to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The journalist detentions followed an assurance recorded during Sunday's Supreme Court hearing that the press would not be obstructed while working.