Bhopal-based journalists launched by Rajasthan Police, day after detention for pretend stories on Diya Kumari and demanding cash

Two Madhya Pradesh-based journalists had been launched on Saturday (October 18, 2025), a day after they had been detained from Bhopal by the Rajasthan Police for allegedly operating “pretend and defamatory information tales” on the State’s Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari and “demanding” ₹5 crore to take away them.

On Friday (October 17), a crew of the Jaipur Police had detained ‘The Sootr’ information portal’s editor in chief Anand Pandey and its managing editor Harish Divekar from Bhopal and brought them to Rajasthan, prompting a collection of backlash from numerous journalists throughout the 2 States in addition to from leaders of the Opposition Congress. 

Jaipur Additional Commissioner of Police Manish Agrawal instructed The Hindu that Mr. Pandey and Mr. Divekar had been launched on Saturday night after interrogation and that no formal arrest was made within the case. 

“We have allow them to go after the questioning for now however the investigation will proceed within the case,” Mr. Agrawal mentioned, including that the 2 will be referred to as for questioning once more in required. 

A spokesperson at ‘The Sootr’ mentioned that the duo was launched round 6 p.m. and “nothing concrete was discovered to show the stories false”. 

In an official launch on Friday, the Jaipur Police mentioned {that a} criticism was obtained on September 28 on the Karni Vihar police station by one Narendra Singh Rathore, claiming that the portal had been “constantly operating false and deceptive information for the previous one month, conspiring to defame the Deputy CM [Ms. Kumari]”. The complainant alleged that Mr. Pandey and Mr. Divekar have made calls for of crores of rupees, by way of some acquaintances, to take away the stories and never publish any in future.

The Jaipur Police mentioned {that a} case was registered based mostly on the criticism and that its investigation revealed that Mr. Pandey and Mr. Divekar had “illegally demanded Rs5 crore to take away the false stories from ‘The Sootr’ and ‘The Capital’ portals, and never publish every other false stories in future”.

They had “threatened” to run a marketing campaign referred to as ‘Destroy Diya’ in opposition to the Deputy CM, in case the cash was not paid, the police mentioned.  

Reacting to the detention, ‘The Sootr’ had on its web site termed the detention “cowardly” and that the Rajasthan Police had acted “with none allegation or FIR”. 

The information outlet had revealed a number of tales alleging Ms. Kumari’s involvement in numerous corrupt practices equivalent to unlawful encroachment of land. The tales included a collection titled ‘Diya Tale Andhera [Darkness Under the Lamp]’.