A journalist was picked up by the city police on Tuesday over controversial report that claimed the Ayush ministry, as per government policy, does not recruit Muslims.
The Ayush ministry had earlier rubbished the story as “totally false” and an attempt to “defame the ministry”. The Milli Gazette newspaper, which reported the alleged discrimination, has stood by its story, claiming that none of the RTI documents, the basis of the story, were fabricated by them.
A team of south district police on Tuesday picked up Pushp Sharma from his Lajpat Nagar home around 6.30 pm.
“The journalist was picked up just for some clarifications (in connection with the story). He has not been arrested and will be allowed to go home later,” DCP (South) Prem Nath said.
The police, however, refused to reveal more details about the case, saying that the media would be informed if and when any case is registered in connection with the story.
According to Mr Sharma’s colleagues, a police team landed at his home and told him that some senior officers wanted to speak to him.
“When Mr Sharma said that he could speak to the officers over the phone, they bundled him into a police vehicle and took him away,” said one of his colleagues, adding that in the last telephonic conversation with Mr Sharma, he had revealed that he was being kept at Kotla Mubarakpur police station.
Last Friday, the Milli Gazette had published an online story alleging Central government’s discrimination against Muslims in selection process of Yoga teachers for International Yoga Day last year.
The story had claimed that RTI responses from the Ayush ministry had revealed that “a total of 711 Muslim yoga trainers had applied for the short-term assignment abroad, but none was even called for an interview while 26 trainers (all Hindus) were sent abroad on assignment”.
The story added that the RTI response of the ministry “bluntly” revealed the rejection of Muslim teachers by saying: “No Muslim candidate was invited, selected or sent abroad.”
