Rajkot, Gujarat:
A local newspaper in Gujarat has come under fire for publishing pictures of the Rajkot Police Commissioner Geeta Johri. Johri has ordered her officers to file a complaint against Gujarati newspaper
Divya Bhaskar after they published her picture taken at a New Year's Eve party.
What has infuriated Johri is that alongside the picture of her dancing at the party is the picture of a couple kissing at the same party. Johri alleges that the storyline accompanying the picture suggests the couple were indulging in immoral acts in her presence.
Johri has filed an FIR against the journalists. The FIR alleges:
Two unrelated pictures were clubbed to give it a sensational angle.
The scribes had gatecrashed and clicked her picture despite her objections.
It also accuses the journalists of criminal trespass and criminal conspiracy to defame Johri.
The agitated journalists however counter Johri's allegations. They say it was a public function and they had gained entry with valid passes. Says Kanabhai Batawa, Executive Editor,
Divya Bhaskar: "The police action is not justified at all...This is an attempt to curb the freedom of the fourth estate...the entire press fraternity in the city is agitated over the police action.
The journalists have also threatened to court arrest should any police action be taken against them.