Kochi: What could be described as police high-handedness and a reminder of emergency days, Keralam cops entered the core newsroom, seized mobile phones belonging to working journalists and technical staff, and temporarily disrupted operations under the premise of an ongoing inspection. This happened at the head office of Reporter Broadcasting Company, a prominent media group that controls Reporter TV and its digital arms.

A group of police personnel arrived at the Kochi office of the media house early in the morning on Wednesday and seized items including the mobile phones of journalists. The police intrusion disrupted work in the newsroom, an area accessed solely by journalists and technical staff.

The inspection was led by the Thrikkakara ACP. The Keralam DGP later told the media house that no permission was granted for the operation, confirming it took place without his knowledge.

As per the media house, the phones and other devices were confiscated with the intent of blocking Reporter TV’s broadcast.

Without disclosing the reason for the raid or any further details to the journalists, officers remained at the headquarters for over half an hour, which was broadcast live.

The controversy surrounding Reporter Broadcasting Company centers on high-profile financial investigations involving the owners of the Reporter channel, the Augustine brothers.

At the core of the issue is an event involving international football icon Lionel Messi, which triggered a wider probe into the media group’s operations. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Kerala Police flagged financial irregularities and alleged tax evasion amounting to Rs 25.78 crore by the company. The investigation focuses on undisclosed bank accounts and suspicious transactions linked to the event management and promotional deals surrounding the project.

Intensifying the political fallout over the police action at the Reporter TV headquarters, Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned the UDF government, terming the raid an outright assault on press freedom reminiscent of the Emergency era.  

“The action of the Kerala Police in intruding into the Reporter TV newsroom and disrupting news broadcasting is extremely objectionable. Early in the morning, a group of police personnel stormed the newsroom in Kochi and seized the phones of working journalists, creating an atmosphere of terror for nearly an hour and a half,” Vijayan stated.

The Opposition Leader emphasized that such heavy-handed measures align with pattern-like crackdowns seen across the country. “Attacks on the media, similar to those occurring in BJP-ruled states and in Delhi under the control of the Central Government, have now taken place in Kerala as well. This action is identical to the raid on the NewsClick office, where equipment was seized and the editor was jailed. Kerala is not going to tolerate this heavy-handed suppression of the media,” he added.