Odisha TV journalist picked up by police, channel says ‘targeted’ for exposing govt claim

While OTV alleged that the police specifically targeted the journalist — Ramesh Rath — for doing a series of operations “exposing” BJD government in the state, police denied the allegations and said no arrest was made. (File)

A senior journalist employed with regional news channel OTV was on Thursday picked up by the police in Odisha’s Keonjhar district over alleged involvement in a case of obscene video that was circulated online last year.

While OTV alleged that the police specifically targeted the journalist — Ramesh Rath — for doing a series of operations “exposing” BJD government in the state, police denied the allegations and said no arrest was made.

Sadar police station in-charge Jai Narayan Khandai said: “One of the accused who was arrested in the case and was serving jail term had informed us that the journalist had some video material pertaining to the case. Based on the statement, necessary actions were initiated. No arrests have been made yet.” The FIR in the case names 11 people for allegedly circulating on social media an obscene video on a woman MP from BJD. They were later arrested.

The channel said the development comes “a day after OTV telecast an expose on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s claims of an aerial survey of flood-hit areas (in August), which was based on an RTI revelations.” It stated: “After two hours of picking him up from the middle of the road, a team of Keonjhar police, along with a team of Bhubaneswar Police Commissionerate, reached the OTV office along with Ramesh Rath and initiated a search. The team failed to provide any search warrant.”

Rath said: “They detained me for an old case and seized both my phones. They took me to Chandrasekharpur police station and gave me a notice to be present at police station in Keonjhar on October 21. Making allegations against me now in a case that is at least a year old, immediately a day after certain reports, cannot be a mere coincidence. Nevertheless, I will cooperate with the investigation.”

Majority shares in OTV is owned by BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda’s family.

In a series of tweets, Panda stated, “Serious allegations by activists (with RTI accessed aviation documents) that Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik faked an August 31 helicopter aerial survey of flooded districts…. Reporter who broke news…arrested…”

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