Siddique Kappan, a journalist from Kerala who was jailed in Uttar Pradesh more than two years ago while investigating the alleged rape of a young woman whose death caused widespread demonstrations, was released today. He had been in jail for more than a month after being granted bail in both of the cases against him.
“I will continue to combat draconian legislation. They kept me in jail even after I was released on bail… 28 months after a protracted battle. I’m not sure who benefits from my incarceration. These two years were extremely difficult, but I was never terrified “After being released from the Lucknow jail, he told.
Mr. Kappan was scheduled to walk out last evening, but he was unable to do so because the judge of a special court that oversees money laundering matters was preoccupied with a bar council election.
He was apprehended in October 2020 on his way to Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras to report on the alleged gang rape and death of a 20-year-old Dalit woman, which sparked nationwide demonstrations. The police claimed he was headed there to cause trouble.
A fortnight after being gang-raped, the woman died in a Delhi hospital. The district administration cremated her in the middle of the night in her hamlet, provoking charges of cover-up and widespread condemnation of the Yogi Adityanath government.
Mr. Kappan was charged with sedition under the harsh anti-terror code UAPA. The Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering complaint against him in February 2022, accusing him of collecting funds from the banned People’s Front of India.
The Supreme Court granted him bail in September of last year, finding that no official charges had been filed against him and that a document called “Toolkit” retrieved by state police only promoted a plea for justice in the rape case.
Three months later, he was granted bail in the money laundering case. However, his release was delayed due to several administrative errors.
Mr. Kappan’s detention has been denounced by the opposition and civil society organizations as prompted by the Uttar Pradesh government’s efforts to avoid unfavorable coverage of the Hathras tragedy and as a case of the BJP government attempting to suppress the media.
The journalist and others arrested with him are said to be members of the banned Popular Front of India and its student offshoot, the Campus Front of India. Mr. Kappan has denied any involvement or financing of terrorist acts. He claimed to be on his way to Hathras for journalistic purposes.
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