UP Files Anti-Terror Case Against Kerala Journalist Covering Hathras Rape

Hathras case: Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan and three others were heading to Hathras to report on the alleged gang-rape of a woman - who died later in hospital - when they were arrested

A 5,000-page chargesheet has been filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police against Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, who was arrested in October last year while travelling from Delhi to report on the aftermath of the alleged gang-rape and subsequent death in a Delhi hospital of a Dalit woman from UP's Hathras. Seven others, three of whom were arrested with Mr Kappan, and the others arrested later, also face charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA for alleged conspiracy to create communal tension. Mr Kappan and three others were heading to Hathras to report on the alleged gang-rape of the woman - who died later in hospital - when they were arrested and charged under the anti-terror law. The UP Police said they acted on a tip about "suspicious people". In the FIR (First Information Report), the police used a section of the UAPA that deals with "raising funds for a terrorist act". Mr Kappan has since been in jail in Mathura.