A cacophonous journalist covering opposition politicians’ visit to Jammu and Kashmir had accused that the police personnel deployed at the Srinagar airport had manhandled her and tried to stop her from reporting.
श्रीनगर एयरपोर्ट पर सुरक्षाकर्मियों ने की मीडिया से बदसलूकी। देखिए @mausamii2u की रिपोर्ट #ATVideo
अन्य वीडियो: https://t.co/0lHmKyGH0i pic.twitter.com/PiFyrhPVFc— आज तक (@aajtak) August 24, 2019
In the video, one can see that a police personnel reasons with India Today group journalist Mausami Singh that since Srinagar is a defence airport, clicking pictures and shooting videos is strictly prohibited at the facility. Usually such announcement is made even by the pilot when the plane is about to land.
However, soon after this, Singh goes on a rampage against the official alleging that she has been manhandled by women police personnel which had resulted in a few minor scratches and benign bruises on her hands. The video of her being subjected to force by police is conspicuously absent from the video.
Singh goes ballistic and shoves the mic in the face of the security official who tried to explain her that shooting videos on defence airports is forbidden by law. Realising that the journalist is whipping up frenzy against the security personnel, officers deployed there try to extricate themselves by scuttling away to a nearby building.
Singh further laments that police could have informed them peacefully about shooting photos and videos being proscribed at defence facilities instead of using brute force against them. Despite admitting that police has instructed them to not use camera at the defence facilities, Singh continues to record videos from the Srinagar airport.
Srinagar’s Sheikh Ul-Alam airport at Srinagar is a defence airport owned by Indian Air Force, and the Airports Authority of India operates a civil enclave at the airport. Another such defence airport is Pune in Maharashtra, where there are instructions issued to passengers to refrain from using their mobile phone’s camera on the airport, failing which the authorities might confiscate their phones. In all defence airports across the country, the passengers are expected to follow a strict set of norms which includes prohibition on the use of cameras in the airport premises.
This is not the first time Mausami has been in the news for things other than her reportage. During the run-up to the 2019 general elections, she was caught on camera ‘directing’ Congress workers to appear excited about Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Mausami Singh had gone to the extent of shielding Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar who had not only abused and misbehaved with the Republic reporter but she had also prevented a reporter belonging to rival Republic TV from doing his duty. In a viral video, Mausami Singh was seen taking the side of Mani Shankar Aiyar and asking the fellow journalist not to ‘peddle his agenda’ there.
