Gujarat: Reporters, journalists, Voices of dissent are either sacked or punished for reporting against the government or influential people.
One such case is reported from Gujarat, where a bureau chief of a Gujarat Daily in Valsad was assaulted for reporting on a government project undertaken by the accused.
The 34-year-old Harshad Ahir along with his wife and one and a half-year-old daughter were beaten up by a former sarpanch and his aides on Saturday night, Indian Express reports.
According to police, Harshad who is a native of Bhagdawada in Valsad is the Gujarat daily Mitra’s bureau chief.
The prime accused in the case is Dharmesh Patel, former sarpanch of Bhagdawada village along with his alleged accomplices Jaydev Desai and Sagar Patel.
According to reports, the accused got furious over Harshad’s story regarding the “inefficient” work carried out in the beautification drive of a pond in Bhagdawada.
“Almost five years ago, a beautification drive was carried out at a pond in Bahagdawada where a wall was erected on one side of the pond, chairs and sitting lawn was made along with other items. Dharmesh was the deputy sarpanch back then and he had undertaken the project work. He has also been the sarpanch of the village. However, in the recent rainfall, almost all the beautification was badly damaged so I did a story highlighting the inefficient work. On Saturday night around 10.15 pm, five men including Dharmesh assembled in front of the apartment and asked me to come downstairs.
When I refused, two men remained downstairs and Dharmesh along with his two accomplices climbed to the third floor, broke into my house and assaulted me and my wife. They also kicked my infant daughter,” said Harshad.
“He kept shouting at me that why did I publish the negative report in my newspaper and he threatened to kill me as well,” the victim added.
The police have booked the three assaulters under Indian penal code sections 323, 452 and 506 for assault, house trespass and criminal intimidation.
“The journalist was attacked by a former sarpanch and his accomplices. We have arrested one Jaydev and the remaining two are on the run,” said Sunil Joshi, superintendent of police, Valsad.