Journalist booked in Bihar for questioning harassment of Muslim voters
New Delhi: Bihar Police have booked senior journalist and YouTuber Ajit Anjum for allegedly for questioning harassment of Muslim voters during electoral roll revision process.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the incident happened on July 12 in Bihar’s Begusarai district, when Anjum visited a polling booth to report on voter enumeration. The FIR was registered on July 13 at the Ballia police station.
The incident once again highlights the inherent danger of repressive action for objective reporting against journalists not belonging to the “Godi” media outlets in the states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies.
According to the FIR filed by Booth Level Officer (BLO) Mohammed Ansarul Haque, journalist Anjum and his team entered the Block Auditorium in Sahibpur Kamal Assembly constituency. Haque said Anjum questioned him about the number of voters at his booth and specifically asked about Muslim voters — how many had received and submitted forms. “The YouTuber’s focus was on suggesting that Muslim voters were being harassed. They disrupted my work for over an hour and prevented me from completing the uploading of forms,” Haque claimed in his complaint.
Ajit Anjum, however, denied the allegations. He said his report was factual and done in the public interest. “As a responsible journalist, I highlighted how Election Commission rules were not being followed. I didn’t reveal any individual’s identity or show close shots of the forms,” he said.
He further added, “Instead of fixing irregularities, they filed an FIR against me. But I won’t be silenced by pressure.”
Meanwhile, DIGIPUB News India Foundation, a coalition of digital media organisations and independent journalists, has strongly condemned the FIR filed against the journalist, calling it a “direct assault” on independent journalism.
