Chouhan and Jatav have alleged that they were “invited” to have a cup of tea with Asit Yadav, Superintendent of Police, Bhind, at his chambers, where “they were physically assaulted and battered by (the SP)…and his subordinates.”The Supreme Court Monday asked two journalists from Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind, who have accused the MP Police, and especially the Bhind superintendent of police, of assaulting, harassing, and stripping them, to approach the High Court while granting them interim protection from arrest until the HC considers their case.A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan told the counsels of Shashikant Jatav and Amarkant Singh Chouhan that it was not inclined to entertain their petition under Article 32. However, the bench directed two journalists to approach the Madhya Pradesh High Court and granted them two weeks to move the lower court.Jatav and Chouhan sought a direction from the Supreme Court to the MP Police against taking any coercive action against them. In their plea, they also sought protection for themselves. Highlighting that they fear for their lives, they have alleged that they are facing the police’s ire over their reporting on the alleged corruption involving sand mining.On May 28, the Delhi High Court granted Delhi Police protection to Chouhan. This protection continues, but will remain within the jurisdiction of Delhi. Jatav too has a petition pending before the Delhi HC seeking police protection, which is yet to be taken up, and has been renotified for consideration on July 14.Chouhan and Jatav had fled to Delhi on May 19 after allegedly facing harassment from the MP Police, and had thereafter filed complaints with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Press Council of India (PCI). Further impressing on the threat from the state police, the journalists informed the top court that on May 28, when Chouhan’s petition was being heard, the Bhind police were camping outside the Delhi High Court campus.Chouhan and Jatav have alleged that they were “invited” to have a cup of tea with Asit Yadav, Superintendent of Police, Bhind, at his chambers, where “they were physically assaulted and battered by (the SP)…and his subordinates.” They claimed that more than half a dozen other journalists were also present at Yadav’s chamber, who had all been stripped down to their undergarments before being physically assaulted and battered before their arrival.“SP Asit Yadav was displeased about the extensive reporting about the illegal sand mining activities in the Chambal River that are carried out by the sand mafia in connivance with the local police,” they said.Story continues below this adChouhan and Jatav said were on their way from Gwalior to Delhi to meet Bharatiya Janata party leader and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and “apprise him of their plight” on May 4, when they were “picked up by one Saurabh Sharma, another journalist, on the pretext of going to Delhi by road”. They were allegedly taken to a nearby roadside eatery where some police officers were waiting. The police officers took the two journalists to Yadav’s bungalow to work out a ‘compromise’, warned them against pursuing the matter of being assaulted by Bhind police officers on May 1, and told them to drop the charges.According to their petition, they were once again summoned by Yadav to his office on May 5 “where they were forced to record a video statement in the presence of other police officials, stating that all matters between them and the police have been “resolved”. The petition said the video was then circulated by the Bhind police through WhatsApp to destroy the credibility of the two journalists.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:supreme court