The case of the arrest of a Malayalam journalist in UP is causing a stir in Kerala. Till Wednesday, Rehanath (his wife) was expecting to hear that cops in Uttar Pradesh would release her husband, Siddique Kappan after he was arrested near the Hathras toll plaza on Monday morning. “But then I heard that he has been booked under sedition and UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) charges,” she told a leading daily. It was only on Tuesday that some friends had told Rehanath that Siddique, a New Delhi-based journalist originally from Kerala, was arrested along with three other men when he was on his way to cover the Hathras incident where a 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped.

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Rehanath questioned, “It’s a fabricated case and he has been trapped. He was traveling to report, which is his job as a journalist. He has been booked for sedition for doing his job?” Siddique writes for various Malayalam news outlets, including the online portal Azhimukham. His wife denied reports that Siddique is affiliated with the Popular Front of India (PFI). “Neither Siddique nor anybody from our family has any affiliation to any political party. He doesn’t even step out when he’s at home,” said Rehanath, who lives with their three children at Vengara in Kerala’s Malappuram district, near Siddique’s family home.

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According to Rehanath, Siddique moved to New Delhi six years ago. “He usually calls me every morning and at 12 every night after finishing his daily work. But I didn’t get any call on October 5. His mobile was switched off. He had seen my previous messages on WhatsApp but hadn’t responded. The calls to his landline number, too, went unanswered. By Monday night, I started getting anxious,” she told a leading daily.

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