After a photograph claiming that a group of journalists were arrested and stripped down to their undergarments by Madhya Pradesh police, went viral on social media platforms, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sought a report on the matter.
The SHO of the particularp olice station in Sidhi district and a sub-inspector have been line-attaced. DGP has asked the officials to conduct a prob and submit a report within 24 hours.
In the photo that has been shared along with the post, eight men are seen standing against the wall, half-naked in their undergarments.
The incident reportedly happened on April 02, in Sidhi district.
Local journalist and YouTuber Kanishk Tiwari, who has been identified in the photo, told that he had gone to cover the arrest of theatre artist Neeraj Kunder who was nabbed for allegedly making indecent remarks about BJP MLA Kedarnath Shukla and his son Gurudutt using a fake ID. Neeraj Kunder is the director of Indravati Natya Samiti in Sidhi district, and has reportedly been working to saving the art of Vindhyas.
Sources said that Kunder had created a fake Facebook ID in the name of Anurag Mishra. Upon his arrest, many people, including Kunder's parents and Tiwari, had gone to the police station and demonstrated.
Another theatre artist Narendra Bahadur Singh, who had gone to the police station in support of Neeraj Kunder, alleged that they were all beaten up and asked to strip.
Superintendent of Police of Sidhi district Mukesh Kumar Shrivastava said that there were no journalists but miscreants who were preventively detained, and later arrested.
When asked about the viral photo showing Kanishk and others half-naked, Shrivastava said, "It's a normal procedure to ensure that none of them could attempt anything unwanted, such as killing themselves. The photo has come to my attention – and I have ordered enquiry into the matter. Whosoever clicked and distributed the photo will soon be found and legal action will be taken against those involved."
However, refuting the police's version. Kanishk Tiwari stated that he had gone to cover the developments in the arrest of Neeraj Kunder. He alleged that he was assaulted and humiliated because of his previous coverage against the local politicians and police in the district.
Among those arrested were theatre artists and supporters of Kunder. All of them were released on April 03.