Surya TV raid angers journalists

The battle calls are now clear. The Kerala government seemed set on a major collision course with media personnel, with Chief Minister A.K. Antony strongly justifying his action to send policemen to the office of Surya TV here yesterday, and journalists from both print and visual media closing ranks and drawing up an action plan for the coming days.

The issue was also prominently raised in the assembly and the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) staged a walkout in protest against what they called "police high handedness" against the media.

Even as the action happened at the assembly and the Press Club where the respective sides gave vent to their feelings, the Damocles' sword of a possible arrest under criminal procedure code hung over Anil Nambiar, the scribe who is credited with the story of the alleged involvement of Tourism Minister K.V. Thomas in the hawala scam.

Nambiar's report on Surya TV which also telecast a letter purportedly written by the then director general of police (intelligence) to the chief minister's office regarding Thomas' alleged role in the hawala scam, is at the centre of the controversy, with the chief minister and police top brass stating that the letter was a forged one, and the television channel standing by the report and the document.

The issue gathered prominence after a police party led by Deputy Superintendents of Police Kurup and Philip searched the premises of Surya TV here yesterday and allegedly took away documents and cassettes. Surya TV personnel said police had confiscated the original copy of the controversial document and made them sign blank papers under coercion.

Antony appeared to be unperturbed by the incident and boldly announced in the assembly that the culprits would be brought to book. He said the police search could not be termed a raid since it was conducted after giving prior information to the media house concerned. The chief minister said the enquiries were aimed at bringing out the truth about the documents.

Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan and Communist Party of India-Marxist deputy leader of the house Kodiyeri Balakrishnan decried the police "encroachment" into the Surya TV premises and said that such behaviour was reminiscent of the Emergency days.

At the Press Club, journalists gathered in good strength to chalk out future plans. Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) district president K. Kunhikannan said the police had no business to enter the premises of a media house. He said police had terrorised Surya TV general manager C. Praveen and Chief News Editor N. Sukumaran.

Kerala Journalists' Union (KJU) state president Roy Mathew said Antony appeared to be drunk on power and that he was utilising police to gag the press.

"I myself have been informed by a Crime Branch officer that I would be questioned today," he said. Deepika Editor P.P. James said the United Democratic Front government had been using such strong arm tactics against journalists for a while now, and said that police had been trailing his movements when he wrote reports about the Japan-assisted water supply project in Alappuzha district, which painted the government in a bad light.