Indian-origin journo heckled at Trump rally cleared of charges

Washington, Mar 18: All charges have been dropped against an Indian- American journalist, who was arrested last week while covering Republican frontrunner Donald Trump's election rally in Chicago which was called off due to unprecedented protests, his news network said.

Chicago Police Department and Illinois State Police in a statement said they have dropped all charges against CBS News reporter Sopan Deb, who is assigned to cover Trump's presidential campaign.

"While this incident was very dynamic and troopers and officers were forced to make split-second decisions in the interest of public safety of demonstrators and police officers, we have collectively decided to drop the administrative charges in this case.

"This decision was made after a methodical review of the physical evidence including video and interviewing both troopers and police officers involved in the incident," CBS News reported, citing the statement.

Last week while covering an election rally of Trump in Chicago, which was marred by violence, Deb was handcuffed and briefly detained by the Chicago Police.

The White House had condemned the incident. "A police officer, at least one police officer, maybe multiple, pulled me down from the back of my hoodie and threw me to the ground and bashed my face into the street and then this police officer put his boot to my neck and cuffed me.

"I am continuously identifying myself as press, I said, 'I have credentials, I can show you I have credentials,' but they are not listening to me," Deb said, adding that he was then taken to a police van and driven to the station, where he was charged with resisting arrest.

"Eventually they put me into the back of this police van along with the man that was bloodied and another gentleman. "And we are in pitch black, in essence. I was in handcuffs for you know maybe an hour before the police van took me to the station processed me, they cuffed me again at the station and where the police officers told me I was charged with resisting arrest," Deb said.

Deb, who has been covering Trump's presidential campaign from his announcement in New York last year, said there have been protests going on in his rallies for months and months and months. "However, there has definitely been a recent uptick; I have certainly never seen anything like last night. That was unprecedented," he said.

PTI