Arrested editor brought to court in chains

Seetharam has accused the state’s BJP Government of targeting his publications for carrying articles against “the agenda of the Sangh Parivar in the region”. Udupi,from where Seetharam was arrested,is the native district of Karnataka Home Minister V S Acharya.

“Bringing the accused handcuffed to court was a violation of human rights. I have seen robbers and thieves being brought to court without handcuffs,” Seetaram’s advocate Shashikanth Shetty said.

According to Seetharam’s wife S Rohini,the recent campaigns carried out by the newspaper against the BJP Government,in the context of the suicide in New Delhi of the estranged wife of a BJP MLA considered close to the Home Minister,attacks on churches in Mangalore and Udupi by the Bajrang Dal and Acharya’s defence of the group,and a campaign against an SEZ in Mangalore,had resulted in the action against them.

“This government is not capable of handling even healthy criticism. Ours is a secular newspaper and a pro-people newspaper,” Rohini,a co-owner of Chithra Publications,said.

While Sunday’s arrest was in connection with a two-year-old defamation case,in March 2007,under the JD(S)-BJP Government,Seetharam and Rohini had been similarly arrested by the Mangalore police and denied bail for nearly 11 days in connection with articles “inciting religious enmity”. The defamation case warrants,Rohini said,were issued two years ago under wrong names and addresses. The case was also subsequently quashed,but has been reinstated.

Denying the charges of targeting Seetharam,Home Minister Acharya said the law was taking its course.

The arrests came close on the heels of a November 17 attack on the office of the newspaper and reports of disruption by goons of its distribution network.