CM V D Satheesan Defends Police Raid at Reporter TV Office, Says It Was Legal

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister V D Satheesan has defended the police action at media organisation Reporter TV, saying the search was conducted as part of a legal investigation. He said he was unaware that the channel's news broadcast had been disrupted and that he learned about the incident through Reporter TV itself. Satheesan said he could not provide further details about the matter while speaking at a press conference. The Chief Minister argued that the police raid was legally conducted. He said the search was linked to a controversy surrounding claims that the Argentina football team would be brought to Keralam. The government had received a complaint in connection with the matter, following which an FIR was registered and the Home Department constituted a Special Investigation Team, he said. The searches at various locations were carried out under the leadership of the SIT as part of the investigation, Satheesan said. When asked why the police had seized the private phones of journalists who had no connection with the case, Satheesan said such actions were part of the police investigation and that he could not provide further details. A police team arrived at the Reporter TV office at around 6 am on Thursday to conduct the search. The police entered the news desk and reportedly asked journalists to leave, while seizing around 70 phones. The input phone used by the newsroom to receive news was also seized, disrupting the channel's news broadcast.