Following physical attacks by the Bhind District police, two journalists have left Madhya Pradesh and taken refuge in Delhi and have moved the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India seeking protection from the Madhya Pradesh police. Their crime: Writing reports about the illegal sand mining from the Chambal riverbed carried out by the powerful sand mafia in collusion with the Bhind District police.

The two journalists, Shashikant Jatav, a member of the scheduled caste, and Amarkant Singh Chouhan, in their petition to the Supreme Court, sought a direction to the Madhya Pradesh police not to take any coercive action against them. The Supreme Court Bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra issued a notice to the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Delhi on Wednesday, June 4, and posted the matter for June 9.

The Court stated that it wants the facts to be included in the court record by the State of Madhya Pradesh before it orders any relief for the journalists. At the same time, the bench assured that the Court would come to the journalists' rescue if there was any threat to life!

The two journalists, Chouhan and Jatav, had fled to Delhi on May 19, 2025, following a physical attack by the Bhind police led by the Superintendent of Police, Asit Yadav. In Delhi, the two journalists filed complaints with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Press Council of India (PCI).

On May 28, when Chouhan's petition was being heard by the Delhi High Court, a Bhind police team was camping outside the Delhi High Court. The impunity with which the police in India operate can be gauged from this. We are familiar with the story of the Punjab police entering Delhi with vehicles without number plates and kidnapping "wanted people" and eliminating them when KPS Gill, the "Super Cop," was the Director General of Police.

According to the petitioners, on May 1, 2025, Chouhan and Jatav were invited by Superintendent of Police Asit Yadav for a "cup of tea" in his chamber. They both were physically assaulted by the SP and his subordinates. More than half a dozen other journalists who were stripped to their undergarments and were physically tortured were present at the office of the SP when the two journalists arrived.

On May 4, Jatav and Chouhan were en route from Gwalior to Delhi to meet Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and apprise him of their plight. They were picked up by one Sourabh Sharma on the pretext of taking them to Delhi by road and took them to SP Asit Yadav's bungalow and warned that they should no longer pursue the case of physical assault on them on May 1.

On May 5, they were summoned by SP Asit Yadav to his office, where they were forced to record a video statement stating that all disputes between them and the police had been amicably resolved, the petition said.

The video was then widely circulated to damage the reputation of the two journalists. On May 28, the Delhi High Court granted protection to Chouhan, Bhind Chief of Bureau of Swaraj Express, a news channel for two months.

Since the journalist is apprehensive of a threat to his life while being in Delhi, Justice Ravinder Dudeja ordered the state to provide protection to the petitioner and ensure that no harm befalls him.

The High Court further directed Chouhan to provide his address in a sealed envelope to the office of the additional standing counsel for the state, who should then forward it to the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the Station House Officer of the area where Chouhan resides. Justice Dudeja directed the police not to reveal the address to anybody.

The Court further ordered that Chouhan be provided with the telephone numbers of the SHO and the beat constable of the area within whose territorial jurisdiction he lives. "As and when any message or call is received on the said number from the petitioner, it shall be responded to immediately," the order said.

The beat constable should visit Chouhan's house randomly and also should call him up before 6pm daily for the next two months to ensure that he remains unarmed, the order added. According to the petitioner, SP Yadav was displeased with the extensive reporting about the illegal sand mining activities in the Chambal River that are carried out by the sand mafia in collusion with the local police.

The petition requested that the Court order a status report on the incident. Justice Dudeja said that it would be appropriate to pursue the remedy before the Madhya Pradesh High Court.