Bhopal-based journalists released by Rajasthan Police, day after detention for ‘fake reports’ on Diya Kumari and ‘demanding money’

Two Madhya Pradesh-based journalists were released on Saturday (October 18, 2025), a day after they were detained by the Rajasthan Police in Bhopal for allegedly publishing “fake and defamatory news” about Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari and “demanding” their removal.

On Friday, October 17, a team of Jaipur Police ‘Sootr‘ news portal’s editor-in-chief Anand Pandey and editor-in-chief Harish Divekar from Bhopal who took them to Rajasthan sparked a series of reactions from Opposition Congress leaders as well as various journalists in the two states.

Jaipur Additional Commissioner of Police Manish Agrawal said: Hindu He said Mr. Pandey and Mr. Divekar were released after questioning on Saturday evening and no formal arrest had been made in the case.

“After interrogation, we have released them for now, but the investigation into the case will continue,” Mr. Agrawal said, adding that the duo may be summoned for further interrogation if necessary.

A spokesperson inSootrHe said that the duo were released around 18:00 and that “there is nothing concrete to prove that the reports are false.”

In an official statement on Friday, Jaipur Police said that on September 28, a complaint was received at Karni Vihar police station by a person named Narendra Singh Rathore, alleging that the portal had “consistently published false and misleading news for the last one month and conspired to defame the Deputy CM”. [Ms. Kumari]The complainant alleged that Mr. Pandey and Mr. Divekar, through some of their acquaintances, had demanded millions of rupees for the reports to be removed and none of them to be published in future.

Jaipur Police said a case was registered based on the complaint and investigation revealed that Mr. Pandey and Mr. Divekar “illegally demanded Rs5 crore for removal of false reports”. ‘Sootr‘ And ‘Capital city‘Portals and do not publish any other false reports in the future’.

Police said they “threatened” to run a campaign called ‘Destroy Diya’ against the Deputy CM if the money was not paid.

‘Reacting to the detention’Sootr’ on its website called the arrest “cowardly” and said the Rajasthan Police acted “without any allegation or FIR”.

The news outlet had published numerous stories alleging that Ms. Kumari was involved in various corrupt practices such as illegal land encroachment. The stories included a series titled ‘Diya Tale Andhera [Darkness Under the Lamp]’.