Two cases were lodged on April 1 – at City Kotwali and Ayodhya Kotwali Police Station – the former against unknown editor of The Wire and the second against one “Siddharth”. (File Photo)

More than 3,300 people, including former judges, advocates, journalists, writers, professors and artistes, on Tuesday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government’s move to file criminal charges against The Wire and one of its founding editors Siddharth Varadarajan for an “entirely factual story on the COVID-19 and religious events”.

In a joint statement, they said that the “UP government sent policemen driving across 700 kilometres during the national lockdown to issue this summons when the postal system is still operational speaks volumes for its priorities”. The action of UP police, they said, “comes against the backdrop of the demonisation of Muslims in a section of the media…”

The signatories include retired Supreme Court Justice Madan B Lokur, former Chiefs of Naval Staff, Admiral Ramdas and Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, among others.