11 hrs ago
Police Search Reporter TV Office Amid Messi Event Investigation
Police searched the Kochi office of Reporter TV early Wednesday.
They said the search was connected to an investigation about a failed football event involving Messi and Argentina.
Police said they had a court-issued warrant.
They also said people at the office did not cooperate at first.
Reporter TV said officers entered the news desk and took employees’ phones.
The channel said the search disturbed its news work.
Opposition leaders and Communist Party representatives said this threatened press freedom.
Kerala’s police chief said the search followed the law and that the broadcast continued.
The administrative wing was opened later for the search.
Police searched Reporter TV’s Kochi headquarters early Wednesday over an investigation into alleged government losses linked to a failed Messi-Argentina football event.
The channel said officers entered the news desk, took journalists’ personal phones and disrupted its operations.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police said the search was based on a court warrant and alleged the channel initially did not cooperate.
Kerala’s DGP said the search was lawful and that the channel’s broadcast continued during the action.
Opposition leaders and CPI representatives condemned the search as an attack on press freedom and demanded government intervention.
- Who
- Kerala police, a Special Investigation Team, Reporter TV employees, and political leaders were involved.
- What
- Police searched Reporter TV’s Kochi headquarters while investigating alleged government losses linked to a failed Messi-Argentina football event.
- Where
- Reporter TV’s headquarters in Kochi, including the news desk and later the administrative wing; searches were also reported at other locations.
- When
- Early Wednesday; the event under investigation took place during the previous Left government, according to the report.
- Why
- Police said the search was conducted under a court-issued warrant as part of the investigation into alleged losses to the government.
Channel Critics and Opposition Leaders
Police and Investigation Authorities
Purpose and impact of the search
Channel Critics and Opposition Leaders
Reporter TV and opposition leaders said the action disrupted broadcasting, targeted the news desk, and was intended to create fear or attack media freedom.
Police and Investigation Authorities
Police said the search was part of a lawful investigation and the DGP said he saw no obstruction because the telecast continued.
Location searched
Channel Critics and Opposition Leaders
Political critics said officers should have entered the administrative wing rather than the news desk, where journalists and technical staff normally work.
Police and Investigation Authorities
The Assistant Commissioner of Police said the search notice concerned the administrative block, which was opened after an official arrived.
Cooperation with police
Channel Critics and Opposition Leaders
The channel alleged officers stayed without clearly explaining the search and seized journalists’ phones.
Police and Investigation Authorities
The Assistant Commissioner of Police said channel personnel initially refused to accept the notice or comply with oral requests, while police relied on a court warrant.
Key facts
- Location
- Reporter TV headquarters, Kochi
- Search basis
- A court-issued search warrant, according to police
- Investigation
- Alleged government loss linked to a failed Messi-Argentina football event
- Items taken
- The channel said officers took mobile phones used by journalists and employees
- Other search locations
- Searches were reportedly conducted at five locations, including residences linked to the Augustine brothers, the channel’s office, and a family home in Wayanad
- Police position
- The Kerala DGP said the raid was lawful and that the broadcast continued
- Political response
- Opposition and CPI leaders condemned the action as a threat to media freedom
Quotes
Ravada A Chandrasekhar
Kerala Director General of Police
“This is administrative terror. If nothing is done, it will turn into a precedent. Disrupting the broadcast of a channel like this is unacceptable and unheard of.”
deccanchronicle.com
“This is aimed at creating fear among the journalists. They should have entered the administration wing and not the news desk.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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