Kerala police book journalists, activists over protest against media crackdown
Kochi: Kerala Police have registered a case against journalists, activists, and advocates who gathered in Kochi on September 13 to protest the growing clampdown on the press and demand the release of detained journalist Rejaz M.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the meeting, which organisers said had proper municipal permission, was aimed at highlighting the arbitrary arrest of 26-year-old Kerala-based journalist Rejaz M., who has been in Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) custody since May 7. However, soon after the event, Kochi Police filed an FIR against the organisers and speakers under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Kerala Police Act, accusing them of “unlawful assembly” and “obstructing police from performing their duties.”
Among those named in the FIR are journalists Siddique Kappan, Ambika, Baburaj Bhagavathy, and Mrudula Bhavani; activists Niharika Pradaush, Dr. Hari, Shaneer, C.P. Rasheed, Sajid Khalid, and V.M. Faisal; and advocate Pramod Puzhangara.
Kappan, who was jailed for nearly two years by Uttar Pradesh Police while covering the Hathras gang rape case in 2020, was a keynote speaker at the Kochi gathering. “Due to health issues, I almost skipped the event, but after reading a pro-BJP activist’s complaint against me, I decided I had to attend,” he said in his speech.
Organiser Niharika Pradaush said the group had followed all legal procedures to hold the meeting. “We applied for permission and informed the corporation about a small gathering of 30–40 people at Vanchi Square. Yet, 60–70 policemen surrounded the venue and began obstructing attendees,” she said.
Journalist Mrudula Bhavani, also booked in the FIR, called the police action an attack on press freedom. “Standing up for Rejaz is standing up for journalism. He was reporting on state agencies’ targeting of Muslims and other marginalised communities. This FIR shows the state wants to silence such solidarity,” she said.
The Maharashtra ATS has accused Rejaz of links to the banned CPI (Maoist) and sympathy for the Kashmiri separatist movement—charges that activists say are unsubstantiated. “Even if the case collapses in court, how long will he languish in jail?” Bhavani asked.
Ambika, another senior journalist named in the FIR, said she has been booked in at least 12 other cases, mostly at the behest of right-wing activists. “Kerala is becoming a state where one can’t protest anymore. Even when Kappan was jailed, protests were louder outside Kerala than within,” she said.
Journalist Baburaj Bhagavathy said the FIR reflects the state government’s growing intolerance of dissent. “Whether it was during anti-CAA protests or now, the police have repeatedly targeted journalists, activists, and marginalised communities. The message is clear: anyone who questions the state is treated as a criminal,” he remarked.
