Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha

Journalists and HRD

Tripura

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on November 19, 2021, regarding the misuse of law, harassment, intimidation, and illegal detention and arrest of two women journalists for their coverage of communal violence in Tripura.

Ms. Samriddhi Sakunia and Ms. Swarna Jha are a journalist working with HW News Network. 

Extensive violence occurred in Tripura after rallies were taken out by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) between October 15 to 26, 2021. Samriddhi Sakunia (21) and Ms. Swarna Jha (25) traveled to Tripura to cover the violence. HW News Network published their report titled, "I Hate What Happened in Bangladesh…But Pains To See Our Mosque Burnt: Locals of Darga Bazaar Recount Horror” on November 12, 2021. An FIR was registered against them in the Fatikroy Police Station by Mr. Kanchan Das, a member of the VHP, under IPC section 120 (B), 153A, 504, 120 (B), 204.

Based on the FIR, a team with 16-17 police personnel with CRPF, reached  Hotel Panchbati in Dharmanagar where Ms. Sakunia and Ms. Jha were staying. The journalists tweeted that they were not allowed to move out of the hotel without a detention notice. They were served a copy of the FIR and were detained at the Nilam Bazar police station in Karimganj District. They were taken back to Tripura at around 1 am. They were presented before a Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Gomati district, Tripura, and released on bail stating that the alleged offenses against them were serious. 

We believe that the above charges against the two women journalists and how the Tripura and Assam police acted against the women journalists is a case of extreme abuse of power and violated multiple recommendations of the DK Basu guidelines.