The Centre scrambled to clarify a news report and said no decision had been taken to deport any journalist from The Wall Street Journal after Prasar Bharati News Service said the foreign ministry had forwarded a complaint against the publication to the Indian embassy in the US.

“A complaint was registered against Eric Bellman by a private individual on the government’s online grievance redressal platform. Referring the complaint to the related office is a routine matter as per standard procedure. No decision on deportation has been taken,” the MEA said on Friday.

‘Plaint against WSJ over misreporting on riots’

This came after questions were raised after the official Prasar Bharati News Service tweeted, “Ministry of external affairs today asked the Indian embassy in the US to look into the request for immediate deportation of WSJ’s South Asia deputy bureau chief Eric Bellman, who is based in India, for anti-India behaviour.”

The MEA spokesperson said the complaint had not been sent to the Indian embassy in the US, but to the under-secretary (consular). The news report mistakenly described it as the embassy in the US, he said.

Prasar Bharati had also said, “A complaint in this connection had been lodged with MEA on March 2 after police complaints had been lodged against WSJ for misreporting on Delhi riots, particularly about the killing of IB officer Ankit Sharma.”

On February 19, China had expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters for an opinion piece on the coronavirus epidemic then raging in Hubei province.



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