Published Oct 29, 2024 | 3:57 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 29, 2024 | 3:57 PM
Journalist bodies condemn second FIR against Mahesh Langa
The Press Club of India (PCI) recently expressed its outrage on X over the hounding of senior journalist Mahesh Langa, following the Gujarat police’s registration of a second FIR against him in less than a month.
Organisations including the Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), Press Association, Delhi Union of Journalists, and Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) have condemned this latest development and are demanding the immediate withdrawal of the FIR, calling for an end to the harassment Langa is facing.
Journalist bodies condemn hounding of journalist Mahesh Langa.
We — IWPC, Press Association, Delhi Union of Journalists and Kerala Union of Working Journalists, —condemn the registration of a second FIR by
the Gujarat police against senior journalist Mahesh Langa in a span of… pic.twitter.com/GGn0Ogb89h— Press Club of India (@PCITweets) October 28, 2024
Langa, currently in judicial custody related to a GST evasion case, has been accused again for allegedly possessing confidential government documents.
The Gujarat police did not clarify the specific sections under which Langa was charged but indicated that these documents were seized during his initial arrest.
In the ongoing investigation, the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch has arrested five additional individuals connected to an alleged GST evasion scheme involving around 220 shell companies.
Mahesh Langa, a senior assistant editor at The Hindu, was arrested by the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) along with three others on 8 October. The arrest followed the booking of 13 firms for alleged input tax credit (ITC) fraud, based on a complaint from the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI).
Deputy Commissioner Ajit Rajian had confirmed the recovery of Rs 20 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold, and land documents from Langa. The police alleged the fraud resulted in significant losses to the government through bogus ITC claims using forged documents from over 220 benami firms.
Langa had challenged his 10-day police remand in the Gujarat High Court, describing his arrest as “politically motivated.” He withdrew the petition on 14 October during a court hearing.
The PCI had previously issued a statement expressing concern over Langa’s arrest and custody.
The journalists’ bodies emphasised Langa’s reputation as a fearless journalist, noting that he is neither a director nor a promoter of the company implicated in the FIR, and highlighted the lack of direct evidence linking him to the case.
They voiced concerns about the custodial interrogation, suggesting it may constitute procedural overreach and harassment of an individual whose name does not appear in the original FIR.
They stressed the importance of due process and urged that accused individuals should not be subjected to undue pressure under the guise of extended custodial interrogation.
Press bodies — @PCITweets, @iwpcdelhi, DUJ and Press Association, express concern at arrest of Mahesh Langa (@LangaMahesh), a journalist with The Hindu in #Gujarat
“… We feel that the custodial interrogation of Mr Langa is a procedural overreach … to harass him.” pic.twitter.com/T3IUGHNMrF
— Press Club of India (@PCITweets) October 10, 2024
The editor of The Hindu, Suresh Nambath, also voiced his concerns regarding the second FIR against Langa on X, reinforcing the journalist community’s alarm over this escalating situation.
We note with deep concern that a second FIR was registered against Mahesh Langa, The Hindu’s Senior Assistant Editor who is based in Gujarat, on October 22, 2024, at Sector 7 police station in Gandhinagar for possession of some documents related to the Gujarat Maritime Board.
— Suresh Nambath (@nambath) October 26, 2024
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
