Kochi, September 16: A police team conducted a search at the Kochi headquarters of Malayalam news channel Reporter TV early Wednesday in connection with the investigation into the controversy surrounding a proposed Lionel Messi-Argentina football event in Kerala.
According to the channel, police personnel entered its news desk, where journalists and technical staff were working, and remained there for more than half an hour. Reporter TV alleged that mobile phones belonging to journalists and other employees were taken into custody during the search.
The channel also claimed that the action disrupted its news operations and alleged that the search was intended to interfere with its broadcast. The police's version of these allegations was not available at the time of the report.
The search is reportedly part of a wider investigation by a Special Investigation Team into the failed Messi-Argentina football event, which has become a political and legal controversy in Kerala.
The SIT is understood to have conducted searches at multiple locations, including the Kochi residences of the Augustine brothers, who are proprietors of Reporter Broadcasting Company, the company's office and their family home in Wayanad.
The action at the television channel's office drew criticism from opposition leader and former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He alleged that the entry of police personnel into the newsroom and seizure of journalists' phones amounted to an attack on media freedom.
Vijayan claimed that officers entered the news desk in the early hours and created a tense situation. He also alleged that police personnel filmed journalists during the operation.
The former chief minister questioned the circumstances surrounding the search and called for a response from Kerala's chief minister and home minister.
The Messi event controversy relates to plans for a football event involving Argentina and Lionel Messi in Kerala. The proposed programme was subsequently cancelled, triggering political debate and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding its organisation.
Police have not publicly provided a detailed explanation of the search at Reporter TV in the material available in the report. The investigation is continuing, and further details are expected as the Special Investigation Team examines the allegations and evidence connected to the event.
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