In a troubling incident for independent digital media, local police in Saharanpur arrested a 34-year-old journalist and YouTuber, Huda Zariwala, charging her with “breach of peace.” Zariwala was detained while attempting to enter the Circuit House to cover a political delegation’s visit regarding a recently demolished mosque.

Despite claiming she was fulfilling her journalistic duties, police registered an FIR and placed her in judicial custody, accusing her of creating a nuisance. This rapid escalation from a reporting dispute to a criminal arrest raises serious concerns about local authorities weaponizing public order laws to silence independent digital reporters.