Jaipur, December 20: Dausa police on Friday, arrested a journalist of the prominent Hindi news daily, Dainik Bhaskar, under tough anti-hate laws, after a misleading news report in the paper alleged that Pakistani flag was hoisted by a resident. One photojournalist and two senior editors of the newspaper were named in the First Information Report(FIR). Photographer Bhaskar Jainam alias Bablu, the daily’s Dausa bureau chief Rajendra Jainam, and its Jaipur based news editor Shakti Prakash Singh too were named in the FIR.(ALSO READ : Pakistani flag hoisted on Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s ancestral house). Also Read - After Former Miss India, Another Woman Faces Horrific Experience on Kolkata Road

Bhuvnesh Yadav, the Bhaskar reporter who filed the news report in question, was arrested on Friday evening on charges under sections 153 A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, residence, language, etc.) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts aimed at outraging religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC). Also Read - Kerala CPM Leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's Son Binoy Vinodini Booked For Rape, Cheating

Police visited Yadav’s house after the report appeared on December 17. “It is a religious flag and not a Pakistani flag as was made out by the news report. It is hoisted annually,” Station House Officer of the Dausa area, Devendra Pratap told The Indian Express. The complaint was filed by Abdul Khaleel, who was named in the report as the owner of the house where the flag was allegedly hoisted. Also Read - Palghar Shocker: Man Kills Couple by Pouring Acid on Them After Clash Over Mobile Phone

The report published under the headline “A Pakistani flag is fluttering on the roof of a house in Halwai Bazar ” was accompanied by a picture of a flag atop a house, having a large crescent and star on a green background. It was not clear if it was a Pakistani flag.The report also criticized the administration for their failure to notice such a thing earlier. “The administration is busy with the chief minister’s expected visit, and is unaware of anti national activities in the city. This is also a major lapse on the part of intelligence agencies,” the report said.

Muslim residents of the town protested after the report appeared, saying the flag was a religious one and it is hoisted every year to observe the birth anniversary of the holy Prophet Mohammad on December 24. “We are all unhappy with the news report, and hence have submitted a memorandum to the Sub Divisional Magistrate,” Ikram Khan, a local corporator was quoted as saying by Express.