Friday, January 20, 2012
The geeta johri issue
Geeta Johri matter
Posted by: "Amitabh Thakur" amitabhth@yahoo.com amitabhth
Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:03 am (PST)
Friends,
Recently a news came which said that the Rajkot police registered and then arrested arrested the executive editor, reporter and
photographer of a leading vernacular daily, Divya Bhaskar, that had
recently published a photograph of Rajkot Police Commissioner Geetha
Johri partying on New Year’s eve. The paper was accused of
“manipulating” news allegedly to increase readership. The complaint filed by
Malaviyanagar Police Inspector S K Rai said the two reporters and the
photographer had “gatecrashed” a private party, taken photographs of a
couple in a manner that the images appeared obscene and published them
alongside a photo of Johri and her husband. The caption of the
photographs further questioned the propriety of Johri’s presence at the
party.Batwa maintains that neither was the party private nor its venue.
He said the party was organised at Neel City Club, for which passes were sold, and that his staffers were carrying entry passes.Geeta Johri has called the publication of her photo a
breach of privacy. She had said that she and her family were invited to
the party along with other IAS and IPS officers and she had asked the
newspaper’s staff not to take her pictures. Johri had also said that her photo and an unrelated one of a couple dancing intimately were clubbed
together to give the party “an obsence touch”.
My wife Nutantook this matter further to know that this FIR No
6/2012 was registered under sections447, 341, 509, 323, 500, 501, 502, 109, 292and120B IPC. She talked to the complainant, S K Rai, who said that though he had got the FIR registered but he would not speak a single word beyond this. Nutan has written letters to the Home Minister, Government of India and
Chief Minister, Gujarat to get this matter enquired.
There could be more than one opinion on this issue and hence I present this letter for your perusal and kind comments on the entire issue-
Amitabh Thakur
Lucknow
# 94155-34526
To,
Sri P Chidambaram,
The Home Minister,
Government of India,
New Delhi
Subject- Enquiry and strict action against Ms Geeta Johri, IPS officer from
Gujarat presently working as Police Commissioner, Rajkot
Sir,
This is to inform you that as per the information coming from Media, a
completely false FIR No 6/2012 under sections447, 341, 509, 323, 500, 501, 502, 109, 292and120B IPC has been registered by Sri
Sanjay Kumar, Inspector of Police Station Malviy Nagar, Rajkot (Gujarat)
against three media-persons Sri Kana Batwa (editor), Sri Aniruddh Nakum
(reporter) and Sri Prakash Ravrani (phtographer) belonging to Gujarati daily Divya
Bhaskar daily. As per the information, this FIR was registered at the
instigation of Ms Geeta Johri, IPS, the present Police Commissioner of Rajkot.
The reason for getting this FIR registered was that her photo in a dancing pose
at a New Year eve party at Neel City Club, Rajkot was taken and later published
in the Rajkot edition of the Gujarati daily Divya Bhaskar. The three media persons were later arrested
and released after much delay despite grant of bail by the competent Court.
Institute for Research and
Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS), a Civil society working in the field
of Human rights strongly condemns this gross violation of Human Rights by the
Rajkot police on the illegal orders of Ms Geeta Johri. We strongly feel that the FIR registered for
publishing a photo of Ms Johri dancing in a Party and another photo on its side
with a young couple standing near each
other is a completely illegal and undemocratic. Other than various sections
related with Defamation (500, 501, 502 of IPC), even offence of criminal
trespass (447 IPC), illegal detention (341 IPC), voluntary causing hurt (323
IPC) and criminal conspiracy (120B IPC) have been included in a simple act of
taking a photo in dancing pose and publishing it. This act taking a photo in dancing
pose and publishing it is not at all criminal in any way. What is equally
serious is that Ms Johri did not get the FIR registered herself but forced one
of her subordinate officers to register an FIR. One fails to understand why
shall Mr Sanjay Kumar get adversely affected by a photograph of her dancing
Police Commissioner?
If a proper enquiry is conducted in this matter, it will be found out that the the
party was almost like a public gathering where many persons had assembled and
were eating, dancing and making merry. Thus, if some photographer went there
and took photographs of Ms Geeta Johri, Police Commissioner and published it in
their newspaper, it cannot be considered as being a crime of any sort. On the
other hand, registering such a serious crime for this act is definitely
illegal. It is also a clear-cut case of abuse of power and is a serious act
against the freedom of Press in our democratic nation.
Hence we request you to get the matter enquired immediately and to take strict
action against IPS officer Ms Geeta Johri for this illegal act of extreme
highhandedness.
Lt No- IRDS/Geeta/01 Yours,
Dt- 18/-01/2012
(Dr
Nutan Thakur)
Secretary,
IRDS,
5/426,
Viram Khand,
Gomti
Nagar, Lucknow
# 94155-34525
Copy- Sri Narendra Modi, Chief
Minister of Gujarat, Gandhinagar for getting an enquiry conducted and taking
necessary action in this matter
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4b.
Re: Geeta Johri matter
Posted by: "Amitabh Thakur" amitabhth@yahoo.com amitabhth
Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:03 am (PST)
Friends,
I present a write-up of my wife Dr Nutan Thakur on the Geeta Johri- Divya Bhaskar event.
At the same time,there is also a request to provide the contact details (phone number, email etc) of Sri Kana Batwa
(editor), Sri Aniruddh Nakum (reporter) and Sri Prakash Ravrani (phtographer) working at the Rajkot office of the Gujarati daily Divya Bhaskar daily, so that she might pursue the matter further.
http://bhadas4media.com/article-comment/1900-2012-01-18-10-51-50.html
Amitabh Thakur
# 94155-34526
amitabhth@yahoo.com,
amitabhthakurlko@gmail.com
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