Chandigarh/ Mohali (April 10, 2010): As per an IE news report, Joginder Singh, Editor of Rozana Spokesman, a Punjabi Daily published from Mohali, was booked u/s 295A (IPC) on Thursday night for ‘causing communal disharmony’ through ‘provocative’ write-ups in Spokesman. A Special police team has been constituted to investigate the case against Joginder Singh, editor of Punjabi daily Spokesman, who was booked on Thursday night for allegedly causing communal disharmony.
The case under Section 295-A of the IPC was registered on a joint complaint by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Sant Samaj, which had taken strong exception to the various articles published by the daily that “amount to malicious remarks against the Gurus”.
They said the write-ups were blasphemous in nature as they challenged the basic tenets of Sikhism.
Commissioner of Police, Amritsar, Varinder Kumar said charges against the accused were serious in nature and DSP (Detective) Avtar Singh had been entrusted with the task of collecting evidence in the case.
He, however, ruled out the possibility of the editor being arrested in the near future, saying the investigations had just begun.
The case was registered following directions from Punjab Director General of Police P S Gill after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal asked the police to look into the matter. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar and Sant Samaj head Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa had met the CM with complaints against the editor.
A legal opinion was also sought before the case was slapped against Singh.
A three-member committee comprising three additional advocates generals — A S Jattana, Uttam Singh Dhaliwal and Baljinder Singh Sra — had found that the articles in the newspaper were against communal harmony.
The writings were termed offensive and provocative too. “We will be investigating all aspects,” said Kumar. The editor is likely to be questioned by the special police team in the coming days.