Indian Web Journalist Arrested

By: Neelesh Misra, Associated Press Writer (AP) A well-known Indian journalist was arrested Wednesday on charges he assaulted a federal investigator, a move that comes as the government faces new claims it is cracking down on the media.

Aniruddha Bahal, who works for the news and entertainment Web site Tehelka.com, was granted bail hours after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation, India's equivalent of the FBI.

Last year, Bahal was one of the two Tehelka reporters who secretly filmed defense officials accepting bribes to push through a fictitious defense equipment deal.

The scandal was the first major crisis faced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, and led to the resignation of the defense minister and the dismissal of the president of the ruling party.

Bahal's arrest and other government investigations into Tehelka have raised accusations of a government crackdown on the press.

The site has also been accused of bribery and was focus of a criminal investigation. Its reporters have been repeatedly summoned for questions and their homes searched.

"The government is trying to crush us because we unveiled its corruption," Tarun Tejpal, Tehelka's editor, told reporters.

Authorities said Bahal had assaulted an officer who went to question him. Bahal has said he was questioned several times after his story on the phony arms deal broke.

"No one is above the law. We are not targeting the media," said Vijay Kumar Malhotra, a senior lawmaker of Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party.

Several other journalists have faced tough action from the government in recent months.

Twice in the same month, government officials called Time magazine correspondent Alex Perry in for questioning about his British passport after he wrote an article about the prime minister's health and ability to handle India's nuclear weapons.

In July, the Indian government said it had asked the Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera to replace its New Delhi-based correspondent Nasir M. Shadid. It gave no reason, but said the request had nothing to do with his reporting.