Attacked for writing against MLA and his aide, claims Ayodhya journalist

A local journalist in Ayodhya was beaten up allegedly by five to six unidentified persons in the City Kotwali area on Tuesday evening. He claimed that the attackers, while raining blows, said he was being targeted for writing a news report against an MLA in Ayodhya.

An FIR was registered against unidentified persons. The police said the MLA can be named only after all the attackers have been identified and the matter sufficiently probed.

The journalist, who was admitted to a district hospital, is said to be out of danger and has been shifted to a private hospital for better treatment. He had suffered a head injury in the attack.

“Pateshwari Singh (the journalist) was headed home on a bike from the Rakabganj area around 7.30 pm on Tuesday. A black SUV was parked roadside in front of Surendra Lawn. As he crossed the SUV, the vehicle roared to life and rammed his two-wheeler, throwing him off his bike. Those inside the vehicle climbed out and started beating him up. Some locals rushed to his rescue. He is currently under treatment and an FIR has been registered against the unidentified accused. We are questioning locals and examining local CCTV footage for leads,” Additional SP (City) Vijay Pal Singh said.

The victim called himself the bureau chief of “Bharat Connect” newspaper and a city reporter for “Jan Sandesh Times”, adding that he had been writing against his attackers for which a false FIR had been filed against him earlier.

“When I saw the vehicle, I sensed trouble but moved on. Not more than 100 metres ahead, the vehicle rammed my bike and I fell to the ground. Around 5 to 6 people attacked me with canes and rods, threatening my life for writing against the MLA and his associate. They snatched my two mobile phones and tossed them to the ground. They would have killed me had some locals not rushed to my rescue. Seeing them, they ran away,” the victim said in a video statement to the media after the attack.

Asked why the MLA and his associate hadn’t been named in the FIR, Kotwali SHO Niteesh Kumar said though the victim, in his complaint, had quoted his attackers as saying that he was targeted for writing too much against the MLA and his associate, it does prove their involvement in the incident. “If he had said that they were directly involved, we would have named them,” the SHO said.

City Circle Officer (CO) Palash Bansal, however, said the possibility of naming the MLA cannot be ruled out once the attackers have been identified on the basis of CCTV footage and statement of locals and it is established who sent them and why.

“We are examining the CCTV footage from nearby areas and will try to find out who these people are and why they attacked the journalist. As of now, it’s merely speculation that the MLA sent the attackers,” he said.

Bansal informed that the FIR was registered under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. More sections could be added on the basis of the victim’s medical report.