Latest news with #BijayPradhan
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Rights body orders probe into journo attack
The nation's human rights body demanded that police investigate the brutal assault of a journalist who was tied, beaten and paraded through a village while reporting on alleged corruption. Video footage circulated on social media showed journalist Bijay Pradhan being beaten up on May 25 after he went to report on construction of a housing scheme in the eastern state of Odisha. 'Reportedly, he was suddenly attacked ... The victim's legs and hands were tied, and he was paraded through the village before being tied to a pole and mercilessly beaten,' the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said Friday. It demanded police provide a report within two weeks. 'The victim's mobile phones and video camera were also smashed by the perpetrators, and he was threatened not to report anything about the incident,' the NHRC added in a statement. Four people suspected of assaulting the journalist have been arrested. India, where incidents of intimidation and assaulting journalists are not uncommon, is ranked 151 on the World Press Freedom Index, run by Reporters Without Borders. In January, India's media watchdog demanded a thorough investigation after the battered body of a journalist, who had widely reported on corruption in neighbouring Chhattisgarh state, was found stuffed in a septic tank covered with concrete. — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
India orders probe into ‘mercilessly beaten' journalist
The National Human Rights Commission demanded Odisha police provide a report within two weeks. (EPA Images pic) NEW DELHI : India's human rights body demanded on Friday that police investigate the brutal assault of a journalist who was tied, beaten and paraded through a village while reporting on alleged corruption. Video footage circulated on social media showed journalist Bijay Pradhan being beaten up on May 25 after he went to report on construction of a housing scheme in the eastern state of Odisha. 'Reportedly, he was suddenly attacked… The victim's legs and hands were tied, and he was paraded through the village before being tied to a pole and mercilessly beaten,' the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on Friday. It demanded police in Odisha provide a report within two weeks. 'The victim's mobile phones and video camera were also smashed by the perpetrators, and he was threatened not to report anything about the incident,' the NHRC added in a statement. Four people suspected of assaulting the journalist have been arrested, according to media reports. India, where incidents of intimidation and assaulting journalists are not uncommon, is ranked 151 on the World Press Freedom Index, run by Reporters Without Borders. In January, India's media watchdog demanded a thorough investigation after the battered body of a journalist, who had widely reported on corruption in neighbouring Chhattisgarh state, was found stuffed in a septic tank covered with concrete.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- India Gazette
NHRC takes suo motu cognisance of brutal attack on journalist in Odisha
New Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of reports detailing the brutal assault of a TV journalist while he was covering alleged corruption at a construction site in Kulthipali village in Balangir district on May 25. According to media reports, the journalist was suddenly ambushed by a group of individuals while documenting the site, where locals had raised corruption allegations. The attackers reportedly tied his hands and legs, paraded him through the village, and later bound him to a pole before subjecting him to a ruthless beating. Recognising the gravity of the situation, the NHRC stated that if the allegations are true, they constitute a severe violation of human rights. Consequently, the Commission has issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Odisha, seeking a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. Further reports indicate that the perpetrators also destroyed the journalist's mobile phones and video camera, threatening him against publicising details of the incident or the alleged irregularities at the construction site. According to reports, Bijay Pradhan, a journalist from a privately-owned Odia-language news outlet, was recently tied up and brutally beaten by a group of men while investigating alleged corruption at a construction site in Kulthipali village, Bolangir district. A widely circulated video on social media shows Pradhan being kicked and dragged by his attackers. The assault, which lasted for two hours, resulted in a ruptured eardrum, and he is currently receiving treatment at Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital. Pradhan further stated that the assailants forcibly took his mobile phone, which contained footage of the incident, along with his microphone and other reporting equipment--an apparent attempt to prevent him from covering the story. (ANI)
