WSJ journalist faces another complaint

The Indian Police Service Association has hit out at a report in The New York Times that blamed Delhi’s police force for being a part of the recent violence in the capital, and a senior representative of The Wall Street Journal was at the receiving end of a private complaint for “anti-India behaviour”.

In a statement, the Indian Police Service Association claimed India was governed by the “rule of law” and no one had “immunity from killing anyone”. The association said: “Our heart bleeds for every victim of a riot and the objective is to always minimise the loss and bring the guilty to justice.”

The NYT report said that two-thirds of the “more than 50 people” who were killed and have been identified were Muslim. “More evidence is emerging that the Delhi police, who are under the direct command of Mr. Modi’s government and have very few Muslim officers, concertedly moved against Muslims and at times actively helped the Hindu mobs,” the report said. NYT spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha said, “Our story was rigorously reported by staff on the ground in New Delhi, and based on numerous witness statements, videos that are widely available and have been confirmed authentic and information provided by police officials. The facts in our story are not in dispute.”

The Association’s comments drew sharp reactions on social media, with a large number of persons posting videos of security personnel beating up men and forcing them to sing the national anthem.

Journalist Ajai Shukla tweeted, “Of course this is a foreign conspiracy! Don’t we all know what a skilled, incorruptible, professional and apolitical police INDIA has!!”

Sidrah, another Twitter user, said, “There are videos of Delhi Police leading rioters, pelting stones wit them; call records of lack of response from helplines; people being humiliated and made to sing the national anthem, Jamia brutalities, Daryaganj?”

Regarding the case of Eric Bellman, South Asia Deputy Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, the official spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry Raveesh Kumar said the complaint against the senior journalist was filed by a “private individual” which was a “routine matter”.

However, Prasar Bharati News Services, tweeted that the Ministry had asked the Indian Embassy in the U.S. “to look into the request for immediate deportation of The Wall Street Journal’s South Asia Bureau Chief Eric Bellman for ‘anti-India behaviour”. The tweet was deleted later.