Journalist unions demand the release of Siddique Kappan

Several journalist unions, including the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), PCI and the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ), held a demonstration outside the Press Club of India in Delhi on Tuesday demanding the immediate release of Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan. The Mathura police arrested Kappan on his way to Hathras to report on the rape and murder of a Dalit girl by upper caste men on October 5th last year. He was accompanied by three others.

"Today, we have organised this programme to mark completion of one year of Kappan being in jail. He was arrested even before going to the spot. Till date, he is behind bars. We are fighting for free media. There should be no curb on media if someone is going on a spot to report," said PCI president Umakant Lakhera.

"Spot and investigative reporting is dying day by day. We are appealing to the highest judiciary of the country to release Kappan and to quash the charges against him," he added.

Initially arrested oh doubts of causing a breach of peace, the four were later also slammed with charges of sedition and other terror offences.