NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

INTERACTIVE ELECTION MAPS

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Subscribe
Follow us Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
For latest updates on nCOVID-19 around the world visit our INTERACTIVE COVID MAP
Politics
India

Scribe Beaten Up by BJP Office Bearers in Chhattisgarh

Suman Pandey was attacked and footage was deleted from his phone, when he recorded a scuffle which had ensued between BJP workers during a review meeting of the party in Raipur.
Saurabh Sharma
04 Feb 2019
Suman Pandey

Image Coutesy: NDTV

In what comes as an attack on the freedom of press, a journalist in the state capital of Chhattisgarh was brutally attacked by the workers and the members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for filming a scuffle between them on Saturday afternoon.

According to the information gleaned from the journalists who were present at the spot, journalist Suman Pandey who works with the digital news portal, The Voices was thrashed by the workers and office bearers of the Chhattisgarh BJP while he was covering the review meeting organised by the BJP to know the causes of their loss in the state assembly elections held in December.

Suman Pandey in his police complaint said that he was attacked by the BJP Raipur president Rajiv Agarwal, Vijay Vyas and Dina Dongre when he recorded the scuffle that had ensued between party workers at the event venue.

“My mobile was snatched and they deleted all the footage of scuffle between the party workers. They even thrashed me up brutally,” Pandey said talking to media after getting the FIR registered.

Also Read: Manipuri Journalist Petitions HC Challenging Detention Under NSA

“I was even held hostage for more than 15 minutes in the BJP state office by the workers of the party. They first came to me and asked me who I am and when I told them that I am a pressman then they said that I am a Congress worker and started beating me. I have got injuries on my forehead,” Pandey told media.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister reacting to this incident said in a tweet, “We reiterate our commitment to the security of journalists. Our government is fast moving towards a law for the protection of journalists.”

पत्रकारों की सुरक्षा को लेकर हम अपनी प्रतिबद्धता दोहराते हैं। हमारी सरकार पत्रकार सुरक्षा क़ानून बनाने की दिशा में तेज़ी से बढ़ रही है।

— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) February 2, 2019

One Vinod Dongre, a journalist from the same organisation, was also injured in the attack.

Shailendra Nitin Trivedi, Chhattisgarh Congress’s general secretary condemned the incident in the harshest words and said that it is an attack on the freedom of the press. “This incident has exposed the real face of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” he told over phone.

Meanwhile, a large number of journalists from print, electronic and digital media have been protesting against the BJP with the demand to suspend the accused leaders from the party.

The journalists sitting on protest have also accused that few members of the BJP youth wing arrived on the protest spot with rods and other things to break the protest before the police intervened.

Journalists outside the BJP headquarters in protest. Protest still going on. Those that were here two hours ago allege that BJP youth workers arrived with rods etc to break up the protest before the poloce intervened. pic.twitter.com/LQ8ehBThjb

— Dipankar Ghose (@dipankarghose31) February 2, 2019

Watching the protest gaining heat senior BJP leader Brijmohan Agarwal and leader of the opposition, Dharamlal Kaushik arrived at the spot to assure the journalists that the party will take appropriate actions against the accused.

It may also be mentioned that a journalist was called “Congressi” by BJP in-charge Anil Jain a few days ago in Raipur when he asked a question on the accountability of loss in the state assembly elections.

Journalist M K Soni, who was also part of the sit in protest, condemning this attack said, “First accusing a reporter for inclining towards a party and then labelling him as a Congressi shows how frustrated these BJP workers and leaders are after losing the elections. The government should immediately step in and order strict actions against all the accused. These people are responsible for not just thrashing a journalist but getting the footage deleted forcefully from his mobile phone which is a serious crime, and police should take a suo moto cognizance in the incident.”

Latest information pouring from Raipur said that the BJP has made all the accused surrender before the police. Confirmation from the police is awaited.

Read More: The Troll Army of the Right and Threats to Women Journalists

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
Attacks on Scribe
Freedom of Press
BJP Goons
BJP workers
Congress
BJP Attack
Rajiv Agarwal
Raipur
Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018
Chhattisgarh
Related Stories
assembly election 2021

Assembly Elections 2021: Voting Ends for 475 Seats, with Non-BJP Parties at Helm in 3 States

nomulabagath2.

Telangana: TRS vs Congress in Nagarjuna Sagar Bypolls, With an Edge for TRS

Assam Bhasha

Ground Report | Guwahati: Voters Fear Stolen Votes

Assembly election 2021

Assembly Polls 2021: In Phase 2, BJP Fights to Save Its Advantage

ANIL DESHMUKH

Maha Govt Appoints One-member Committee to Probe Former Mumbai Police Commissioner’s Allegations Against Anil Deshmukh

Bhasha Bengal Ground Report

In Bengal’s Vidyasagar University, Teachers in Favour of Saving Shared Culture, Scientific Thinking

WB Polls

WB Assembly Polls: BJP Banks on 158 Defected Candidates

Urmilesh march 27

Is Democracy being Strengthened or Weakened?

Bengal Elections: Dole-Centric Manifestos by TMC and BJP; Left Front, Congress Promise Jobs, Industry

Bengal Elections: Dole-Centric Manifestos by TMC and BJP; Left Front, Congress Promise Jobs, Industry

Urmilesh24032021

What are Top BJP Leaders Even Saying in Kerala and Assam?

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share

Related Stories

PTI

Himachal Civic Polls: Congress Gets Majority in Palampur, Solan; BJP in Mandi

08 April 2021
Shimla: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress emerged as the single largest party in two each out of the four municipal corporations i
Ajay Gudavarthy

How Long Will it Take for the Congress Party to Revive Itself?

07 April 2021
How formidable is the transition to the Right in Indian politics?
Rabindra Nath Sinha

Bengal Elections: Muslim ‘Influencers’ Split on Siddiqui Factor but Realise ‘2021 is not 2016’

07 April 2021
Kolkata: Politically and socially-conscious sections of West Bengal’s Muslim electorate have had the benefit of getting some counselling by members

Pagination

  • Next page ››

More

  • Assam Elections: Grand Alliance Urges EC to Maintain Transparency During Vote Counting

    Assam Elections: Grand Alliance Urges EC to Maintain Transparency During Vote Counting

  • UK variant

    UK Variant More Transmissible, but Doesn’t Increase COVID Severity: Lancet Studies

  • COVID-19: India to Produce 850 Million Sputnik V Doses Annually, Says RDIF

    COVID-19: India to Produce 850 Million Sputnik V Doses Annually, Says RDIF

  • karya

    “Karya Portrays the Tragedy of Dalit Lives — their Exploitation by Landowners & Ascetics…”

  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with
about