Zee journalist Rohit Ranjan (File)The FIR against two Zee News producers, during which the channel’s anchor Rohit Ranjan was taken away for questioning by the Noida police on Tuesday, was filed at 8.33 am, just minutes before he was whisked away even as Chhattisgarh cops argued with their UP counterparts over the due process for arrest.
While the original FIR does not name him, the Noida police later booked Ranjan under section 505 (2) (statement conducive to public mischief and enmity) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was arrested and granted bail later in the day.
The complaint on which the FIR is based was filed against the two former producers on July 3 by B R Venkataraman, a Zee Media Corporation representative. Zee News had apologised for airing a misleading video of Rahul Gandhi, linking his comments on the SFI attack at his office in Kerala’s Wayanad to the Udaipur killing of a tailor over remarks on the Prophet.
The Chhattisgarh Police arrived at Ranjan’s house early Tuesday, with a court warrant for arrest based on a complaint by Congress MLA from Bhilai, Devendra Yadav. It alleged that the channel “edited the clip and ran a false story” to “spread terrorism and break the nation’s unity”.
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The Chhattisgarh Police FIR was registered under various sections of the IPC, including 153A (promoting enmity between groups), 295A (outraging religious feelings), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 467 (forgery).
The Chhattisgarh cops’ bid to arrest Ranjan led to dramatic scenes with the police from Ghaziabad and Noida also reaching the residence of Ranjan. Heated arguments, and even a scuffle, broke out between the police officials of the two states over Ranjan’s custody and due process. Ranjan had anchored the show when the clip was aired on July 1.
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