A 26-year-old journalist working for a Bengali newspaper in Assam’s Silchar district was assaulted by a group of men, who also vandalized the office of a media house, police said on Friday.
Police officers said the attack took place in the Second Link Road area of Silchar town around 7:30 pm on Thursday, following which the victim lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at Rangirkhari police station.
“Based on the FIR, we have registered a case and also arrested one of the accused. We have collected CCTV footage to identify the others. Further investigations are underway,” Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) of Cachar, Rajat Pal, said.
Raju Das, who works as a reporter and anchor for the Silchar-based newspaper Barak Bani, alleged that the accused first called him to ask about his whereabouts and later entered the office to assault him.
“After I told them that I work in the office, they came there and entered the room saying they wanted to discuss something. But suddenly one of them started punching me while wearing brass knuckles. I started bleeding and almost fainted before my colleagues intervened and saved me,” he told HT on Friday.
The newspaper’s owner, Nikhil Das, alleged that Raju was receiving threats for covering news related to gambling and some other illegal activities. He said: “When I intervened during the attack, I asked the attackers why they were angry, but they only warned me to stay away.”
The police said they were interrogating the detained young man and that the exact motive behind the attack was not yet known.
Silchar Press Club also condemned the incident. “The safety of journalists has become a matter of concern and this is not the first such incident here. In the recent past, several young journalists have been assaulted and we feel that the state government should take additional measures to protect journalists,” General Secretary Shankar Dey said, adding that the organization would hold a protest against the assault.
Raju’s family members said he suffered serious head injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Silchar.
“Some of the injuries are deep, and after a CT scan, the doctors advised immediate admission,” family members said, adding that he is responding well to treatment.
The police said they will collect medical reports and record Raju’s statements as soon as doctors allow them to do so.
