BSP slams Mirzapur DM’s ‘irresponsible statements’; official had justified case against journalist who exposed poor quality mid-day meal in UP

New Delhi: A day after Mirzapur district magistrate justified the case against the journalist who exposed poor quality mid-day meal in the Uttar Pradesh, BSP spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria on Wednesday said the official was making irresponsible statements instead of protecting press freedom.

“Mirzapur DM is making irresponsible statements instead of working to protect the freedom of press. The journalist was responsibly doing his job. This is against the spirit of the constitution, the rule of law and democracy”, Bhadoria told ANI.

The BSP leader also urged the state government to take appropriate actions to ensure that journalists are not persecuted in the state. “It is the responsibility of the state government to make sure that journalists, who are performing their professional duties, are not persecuted”, he said.

Mirzapur district magistrate Anurag Patel had, on Tuesday, justified the case against the journalist saying he should have taken snapshots instead of making a video of the incident. A case was registered against the scribe who made a video of children being served chapatis and salt in mid-day meal at a primary school at Hinauta village in UP on 22 August.

Under the mid-day meal scheme, the students are to be served pulses, rice, chapatis, vegetables along with fruit and milk on certain days, to ensure necessary nutrition.