Nagpur police arrests Kerala journalist for criticising Operation Sindoor

Nagpur police have arrested 26-year-old journalist Rejaz M. Sheeba Sydeek from Kerala for a social media post critical of Operation Sindoor, India’s recent military strikes on terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Rejaz, known for reporting on human rights issues in southern India, was taken into custody at a hotel in Nagpur.

An FIR filed at Lakadganj police station on May 7 also alleges that Rejaz is affiliated with the banned CPI (Maoist) group. A magistrate court has placed him in police custody until May 13.

Rejaz, who holds a social work degree from Kerala University, has written for media outlets like Maktoob and Counter Currents, focusing on topics such as police excesses and human rights abuses in prisons.

This is the second FIR filed against Rejaz in the past ten days. On April 29, authorities registered a case against him and several other journalists for taking part in a pro-Kashmir demonstration in Kochi. The protest aimed to draw attention to the demolition of homes belonging to those allegedly linked to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

The demonstrators argued that the demolitions violated a recent Supreme Court ruling.

Earlier, in 2023, Rejaz was also booked while reporting on the Kalamassery blast case. His coverage allegedly revealed anti-Muslim bias in the police investigation, leading to an FIR being lodged against him.

While reporting on the death of an 18-year-old labourer from the Paniya Yerava Adivasi community in Kodagu, Rejaz was once again detained by police. According to his friends, he has been under increased surveillance for the past three years and has been repeatedly targeted.

Rejaz has also shared on social media that officials from the Kerala State Special Branch (SSB) have been following him on multiple occasions.

The FIR filed by Nagpur police states that Rejaz was arrested based on intelligence reports indicating his presence in a hotel in the city. Police raided the hotel room where he was staying with a 24-year-old female friend from Bihar, who was also detained for several hours. As of the time of reporting, it was unclear if she had been formally arrested. Rejaz, however, was presented alone before a magistrate.

Three books were among the materials seized from the hotel during arrest: He Who Defied Death: Life and Times of Prof. G.N. Saibaba, The Great Legacy of Marxism-Leninism: Lenin on the Socialist State, and Only People Make Their Own History. The police also seized a T-shirt in which Rejaz allegedly posed in one of his social media posts, holding two guns, the Wire reported

It is unclear in the FIR whether the guns are fake or real, the police have applied Section 149 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) for “collecting arms or other materials with the intention of waging war against the Government of India”.

The section carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. In their remand application, the police argued that his custody was necessary to trace the origin of the firearms involved.

Other charges include Sections 192, 353(1)(b), 353(2), and 353(3) of the BNSS for “wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot” and “statements conducing to public mischief.”

The remand application also questions Rejaz’s reasons for being in Nagpur, noting that he had spent three days in the city and that the purpose of his visit needed further investigation.

The FIR highlights a specific social media post in which Rejaz allegedly criticized the Indian Army’s Operation Sindoor, claiming it resulted in civilian casualties in Pakistan.

According to police, the post included the phrase “Indian Army Murdabad” and featured a photo of a child with the caption: “This is a child!!! Targeting kids is serving justice??? Indian Army Murdabad!!!, the Wire reported.

Police also accused Rejaz of denouncing both Operation Sindoor and Operation Kagaar — the latter being an ongoing anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, where over 400 people, including Maoists and civilians, have reportedly died in recent months.

Authorities have since withheld access to Rejaz’s social media account.

Just prior to his arrest, Rejaz had travelled to Delhi to take part in a press conference organized by the civil society group Campaign Against State Repression. Police have labelled the platform a “frontal organisation” of the banned Maoist group and allege that Rejaz’s visit to Delhi was linked to Maoist activities.

However, the press conference was held publicly, and Rejaz shared video clips of his speech on social media, though his account has since been withheld.

The event centred on the increasing criminalisation of journalists and featured speakers such as documentary filmmaker Sanjay Kak and Prabir Purkayastha, Editor-in-Chief of NewsClick.

In their remand application, Nagpur police claimed that Rejaz is listed at the top of Maharashtra’s list of Maoist activists.