Mumbai: Journalists protest scribe's arrest

Journalists from the print and electronic media marched to Mantralaya on Thursday protesting the arrest of Tarakant Dwivedi alias Akela, a reporter working for the Mumbai-based tabloid Mid-day.

Akela was arrested on Tuesday night and booked for criminal tresspass under the Official Secrets Act. The reporter was produced in court where he was remanded to four days police custody.

Akela was held for his report that exposed how sophisticated weapons like the AK-47 and other arms that were given to the Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force officers after the 26/11 attack were not going turn obsolete, as the weapons were stored in a room with leakages at the the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus armoury of the RPF. The incident forced the railways to find an alternate room for the weapons.

The report was published on June 28, 2010 when Akela was working with another Mumbai-based tabloid Mumbai Mirror. 

While in custody the journalist was allegedly threatened by two senior police officers -- Assistant Commissioner of Police Bapu Thombre of the GRP and ACP Anil Mahabole.

On Thursday, journalists who marched from the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh to Mantralaya presented a list of demands to Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil. While Patil was not in his office he assured the journalists that he would take strong action against the officers concerned if there was evidence of a frame up. However, journalists demanded that Patil should suspend the two officers pending inquiry as they continued to threaten Akela. They have warned that if their demands are not met by Thursday evening then they will commence a statewide agitation.