Raipur, Jan 6 (IANS) A case of dacoity has been registered against a group of journalists and activists from Mumbai and Hyderabad for allegedly clashing with local media personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist stronghold of Dantewada, police said Wednesday.
“We have registered a case under section 395 of the IPC against six persons, two unnamed and four named, including two women, on charges of dacoity and voluntarily causing hurt on a complaint lodged by Dantewada-based journalists,” Amresh Mishra, Dantewada district superintendent of police, told IANS over phone.

Priyanka Borpujari, Satyen Bordolai and Nishtha from Mumbai and Suresh from Hyderabad have been named in the FIR (first information report) lodged by a group of local journalists. They alleged that the activists and journalists from outside had attacked them and snatched their mobiles and cameras in Dantewada town, about 380 km from here.

The group, including some documentary filmmakers, were in Dantewada to participate in the ongoing agitation by NGO Vanvasi Chetna Ashram (VCA) against alleged atrocities on local tribals by security forces.

Giving their version of what happened, Mumbai-based freelance journalist Priyanka said that their cameras had been snatched and they had been kept under detention at the VCA complex for seven hours Tuesday. They were now returning home from Chhattisgarh.

“We too have lodged a counter FIR against local mediamen for snatching two cameras and also against police inaction,” Priyanka told IANS.

Amresh Mishra, however, denied keeping anyone under detention at VCA or registering a counter FIR.

“We have received a complaint by VCA guests against the local journalists but it is not registered. We are just inquiring into the complaint; as far as detention is concerned, it is totally a false allegation. We have deployed eight security men at VCA complex in Dantewada as police protection to VCA chief Himanshu and these cops were on duty on Tuesday too,” he said.

According to local journalist Sunil Singh, the trouble began when the Mumbai-based activists-journalists accused them of “adopting a pro-government and pro-police stand and used some vulgar words”.

“VCA guests called the local newsmen ‘paid journalists’ who file reports after accepting money from police authorities and government. When the local journalists countered the charge, they (VCA guests) attacked us and snatched the camera,” he alleged.

“The media in the conflict zone of Bastar has been impartial in its reporting,” said Bastar Journalists’ Association President S. Karimuddin.