Surinder Singh Pachisa — Social Media Frees Unlawfully Jailed Indian Journalist
An interview by Organization for Minorities of India
An interview with Surinder Singh Pachisa, a journalist in Chandigarh, Punjab, who was arrested and released on February 26, 2015 for covering a hunger strike for release of Sikh political prisoners by Bapu Surat Singh.
In this interview, Surinder discusses the details of his arrest, how police threatened to falsely charge him with murder, and how social media helped free him by spreading news of his unlawful arrest.
OFMI host Steve Macías says:
“Early Sunday morning, I skyped into Punjab, India to talk with Surinder Singh. Surinder is living in what claims to be a “democracy” yet lacks the basic freedom to express any criticism of the ruling party.
“In our interview, he described how he was arrested for reporting on a hunger strike [what was Gandhi famous for?] and the police threatened to trump up a number of charges to keep him from criticizing the government.
“A growing social media buzz decrying his arrest forced the police to release him. Demonstrating that our attention to human rights violations protects journalists who risk their lives and livelihoods for the sake of truth.
“Every like, every share, every view – adds to that protection as we here in America bring fair and open government to the Punjab.
“#Chardikala”