Whistleblower scribe lands in Mt Abu jail

JAIPUR: The government may be in the process of bringing in legislation to protect whistleblowers exposing corruption, but it has not deterred the administration in Mt Abu from arresting a journalist who invited officials' wrath for reporting graft.
It all began when Anil Aran, a freelance journalist, drew the attention of the authorities as to how the hill station, experiencing water shortage, would lose precious water if governor Shivraj Patil stayed there for 10 days during a visit.After the report appeared in newspapers, Patil cut short his visit to two days.
According to sources, Patil and senior government officials criticized the administration for failing to solve the water shortage problem in the hill station.
At a press conference, Aran alleged that an IAS probationer, Tina Soni, who was furious with his reports, issued orders to demolish his house on the pretext that it was not regularized. Although the journalist showed legal documents of his house, the officials remained unconvinced. When his younger brother Sunil Aran went to Soni with the papers, he was allegedly beaten up by the police. Sunil had to be rushed to the hospital.
"The moment I reached hospital, I was arrested by police under CrPC 151 for disrupting peace and harmony," said Aran.