Times Now Navbharat faces harassment, intimidation following Operation Sheeshmahal expose

New Delhi: Times Now Navbharat Saturday said that it has been subjected to brazen harassment and intimidation tactics ever since the newsbreak of ‘Operation Sheeshmahal', which uncovered the ultra-lavish and disproportionate expenditure incurred in refurbishing the official residence of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. 

“In spite of the rough treatment at the hands of AAP functionaries and Private Security personnel in Delhi in the last few days, while covering the story, the channel has been working relentlessly, interviewing ministers and political authorities and uncovering more details to show the true picture to the public,” the channels said in a statement.

In a bizarre turn of events, on May 5, 2023, while invited to cover an AAP political program hosted by Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Ludhiana, Times Now Navbharat's reporter Bhawana Kishore, along with cameraman Mrityunjay and Driver, who had gone from Delhi to cover the event, were taken unawares and arrested by the Ludhiana police on charges of “rash driving and insulting Dalits”, the statement said.

What happened with Times Now Navbharat reporter Bhavana Kishore?

Detailing the series of events leading to the arrest of its journalists, the channel said, “In what appears to be an orchestrated series of events on May 5, the team was first forcibly denied access on ground to cover the Mohalla Clinic event presided by Mr. Kejriwal.” 

“While returning from the location at around 4 pm, they were stopped by a group of women in an e-rickshaw which rammed into the car in which Bhawana and the team were traveling. They then forcefully stopped the team, got into a brawl and called the local police,” the channel alleged.

“We have reasons to believe that these women were motivated AAP workers. They allegedly claimed that the team abused them with SC/ST remarks. It is incomprehensible as to how people from Delhi in a car would be able to guess the caste of strangers on a street in Ludhiana,” the channel said.

Amongst multiple rules violated by Punjab Police, Bhawana Kishore, a woman reporter, was illegally detained without the presence of lady police personnel in the car, Times Now Navbharat said. 

The channel pointed out that the male Police who accompanied Bhawana was not wearing a name badge, which is a mandatory requirement on duty.

“While family members are to be immediately informed of a person’s detention, this rule was also flouted and Bhawana's family was informed only at 10.41 pm. No lady can be arrested post-sunset. However, not only was Bhawana arrested at 8.55 pm, but she was also kept at the police station through the night until this afternoon. They were also denied any legal or telephone access,” the channel alleged.

Times Now Navbharat alleged that its reporter was forced to sign some documents in Gurmukhi, clearly against her will and without the knowledge of the language. 

“We believe this is a case of harassment and a signal of intimidation to Times Now Navbharat to stop pursuing an uncomfortable story about the Supreme Leader of the party in power in the State. This is not just blatant misuse of the State Machinery for vendetta but also misuse and disrespect of the SC/ ST Act which is being invoked wrongly and without any basis to intimidate. Times Network is seeking legal recourse and cooperating with the investigating authorities,” the channel said.