Scribe faces arrest over recruitment in ministry

The Mili Gazette journalist, Pushp Sharma, was again questioned by the Delhi police on Wednesday. He had been picked up by the police on Tuesday evening for questioning and was allowed to return home late at night.

The police questioned Mr Sharma in connection with a story claiming the Ayush ministry, as per government policy, does not recruit Muslims.

Sources said the police was likely to arrest him soon on charges of promoting hatred among communities and for committing forgery for purpose of cheating. A case has already been filed in this connection, based on a complaint lodged by an undersecretary of the Ayush ministry alleging that the RTI responses cited by the journalist in his story were forged.

Mr Sharma reached the Kotla Mubarakpur police station at 11 am on Wednesday as per instruction by the police and was still being questioned at the time of filing this report.

The Ayush ministry had rubbished the story that appeared on the Milli Gazette newspaper’s website as completely false and an attempt to defame the ministry. The newspaper, however, is supporting its report. They have even uploaded the documents on the newspaper website.

“The police had copies of just one RTI reply whereas I had filed for three. When I told them they did not have all the documents, they asked me to come again tomorrow (Wednesday),” Mr Sharma told this newspaper. He also put up a message on the website alleging that his interrogators verbally abused him, shouted at him, questioned the motive behind the story and ask him to name the people backing him.