Bastar journalist Santosh Yadav, who was arrested for alleged Maoist links, has demanded that a narco analysis test be conducted on him and the result be made public if the police had not implicated him “falsely”.
Mr. Yadav, who is lodged in a Jagadalpur jail, sent a message to the media through his brother Jitendra Yadav.
“Santosh told me that he is innocent and is being implicated in false cases. He has demanded that a narco test be conducted on him publicly. He also said that if the police have nothing to hide in the case then they should not shy away from a public narco test,” Jitendra Yadav, brother of Santosh Yadav, told The Hindu .
The Bastar police had slapped the “draconian” Chhattisgarh Jan Suraksha Adhiniyam and Arms Act on Mr. Santosh Yadav and accused him of being in touch with senior Maoist leaders.
However, journalist community in Chhattisgarh had decried his arrest and formed a platform “Patrakar Suraksha Kanun Sayukt Sangharsh Samiti” to mobilise public opinion against the journalist’s arrest.
Amnesty International India has also condemned Mr. Yadav’s arrest.
“The Chhattisgarh government must stop using abusive laws to harass, intimidate and repress journalists in Bastar,” said a press statement issued by Amnesty International India.
