Agencies
Ghaziabad, Oct 27: A joint team of Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh police Friday arrested former BBC Hindi and Amar Ujala journalist Vinod Verma based on a BJP functionary’s complaint that he was being blackmailed by the scribe. Verma, a member of Editors Guild of India and currently working as a freelancer, however, denied the charge and said he was being framed.
The arrest has raised suspicions of foul play and political manipulation and has sparked off a political storm.
According to Chhattisgarh Inspector General of Police Pradip Gupta and Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Shukla, the arrest was made based on a complaint filed by Raipur resident and BJP Chhattisgarh IT-cell member Prakash Bajaj. Bajaj, they said, has stated in his complaint that Verma was trying to extort money from him claiming to be in possession of some “sex tapes” involving the complainant. Bajaj told the police that Verma threatened him Wednesday with releasing the “sex tapes” in Delhi and Raipur if he did not pay a ransom. He said he had received similar calls earlier but had chosen to ignore them.
Police said a case of blackmail and extortion had been registered against the scribe at Pandri police station in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh and during initial investigations the police came to know about a shop where the CD in question was copied. “The shopkeeper told the police that one Vinod Verma had got made one thousand copies of the CD,” Shukla said.
The police also said that during the raid at the journalist’s residence at Indirapuram they have recovered 500 compact discs (CDs) (some reports suggest they had pornographic content), a laptop, a pen drive, a diary and Rs2,00,000 in cash.
Verma, however, denied having anything to do with the CDs and claimed that he was “being framed”. He told reporters he had a sex clipping involving a Chhattisgarh Minister. “He is Rajesh Munat and that is why the Chhattisgarh Government is not happy with me.” Verma also told a national daily: “Someone gave me a 1-minute, 31-seconds clip on a pen drive on October 24 and as a back-up I saved it on my laptop . . . The police have planted the CD on me. It is a political conspiracy of framing me in a false case and arresting me since I am looking after the social media campaign of Congress Party in Chhattisgarh.”
Rajesh Munat, who is the PWD minister of Chhattisgarh, in turn said “the sex CD is fake”. “I appeal to the CM to get this investigated by any agency. I condemn this,” he was quoted by a news agency as saying.
Soon after reports of the arrest surfaced, the Congress came out strongly condemning Verma’s arrest, and termed it an assault on the freedom of the press.
AICC senior spokesperson Ajay Maken told reporters: “Journalist Vinod Verma has been collecting information about involvement of a Chhattisgarh Minister Rajesh Kumar in a sex scandal. The Chhattisgarh police arrested him from Indirapuram in Ghaziabad. . . By doing this the Government has infringed on the freedom of the press. The treatment meted out to him is unfortunate and a matter of concern.”
He demanded the immediate release of the journalist and called for a judicial probe of the entire matter. The AAP also condemned the arrest. AAP leader and former journalist Ashutosh termed the development an “attack on the press”.
In turn, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said: “It is utterly shameful that the Congress is confused between media freedom and criminal activities beyond the realm of media space. Attempt to blackmail is a serious criminal offence and the Congress is showing its political bankruptcy by defending it.”
Raipur Inspector-General (IG) Pradeep Kumar, while claiming inability to reveal details of the content on the CD only indicated that it was violative “of Section 67 of IT Act”. It was also not clear whether the CDs were planted or Verma or he had indeed created copies. Unconfirmed reports suggested that Verma was planning a sting operation against a senior Minister in the Chhattisgarh government.
According to a report, Verma was presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Ghaziabad which rejected his bail plea and granted Chhattisgarh police his transit remand till October 30.
