Karnataka Police submits charge sheet against KK Shahina
Posted on: 19 Jan 2013
Bangaluru: The Karnataka Police submitted charge sheets ] against KK Shahina, accusing her of criminal conspiracy [120 B], threatening the witnesses to give statements against prosecution and under charges of influencing the witness statements in the Bangalore serial bomb blast case.
Shahina, earlier through her sting operation was successful in exposing the Karnataka Police's fabricated witness statements against Peoples Democratic Party Chairman Abdul Nasar Madani, detained under trial at Parappana Agrahara Jail - Bangaluru, accused of involvement in the Bangalore serial bomb blasts.
She had interviewed two witnesses in Kodagu [Karnataka] in November, 2010 when she was working as Kerala correspondent of the 'Tehelka' magazine. The report published in the magazine stated that the witnesses – Rafeeq and Yogananda – had spoken to Shahina contradicting the police version and she was thus successful in exposing the Karnataka Police conspiracies against Madani.
The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) protested and condemned the case against Tehelka Kerala reporter K K Shahina terming it fabricated. The union said the Karnataka police slapped false case against her on the basis of a report published in the Tehelka saying she had tried to intimidate the witnesses in the Bangalore blast case where PDP leader Abdul Naser Madani was an accused.
Shahina visited Kodagu in connection with her work. The Union said if the police do not amend their acts, it will have long term repercussions on the media. If things go like this, mediapersons won't be able to do their work freely and travel and collect details for a story. The Union demanded to stop the mental torture and picturising the incidents in bad perspective. It also demanded withdrawal of the case.
Intimidation charges by Karnataka police false: Tehelka reporter
KK Shahina, Kerala reporter of Tehelka magazine, ruled out the allegations slapped on her by the Karnataka police for 'threatening the witnesses' in the case related to Bangalore blasts in which PDP chairman Abdul Nazar Madani is an accused.
She said the case is an attack over the freedom of the press. She said she had gone to Kodagu to interview the witnesses, Rafeeq and Yoganandan who allegedly told the police that they have seen Madani at the Lakkeri estate where Tadiyantavide Nazeer had organized a terror camp. She said, when they were retuning, the Somwarpet police had blocked them and questioned her. Later they released her confirming that she is a journalist. She said the police have been trying to silence those who are trying to investigate the truth, by picturising them as terrorists. She said she had not received any notice from the police so far and will face the case legally.
