News Channel Reporter, Photographer roughed up at Patna during Bihar Bandh

Speed Post News Network

Patna : Reporter of a news channel and a Photographer were roughed up on December 21, 2019, by persons trying to enforce the day-long bandh called by the RJD-led opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register for Citizens. The bandh turned out to be a virtual show of strength for the Grand Alliance in particular the RJD, which has been undergoing a rough patch since the Lok Sabha polls in which it drew a blank.  According to the police headquarters, the number of people detained while trying to enforce bandh could be in hundreds.

Prakash Singh, who works for Republic TV, shared video clips of the incident with mediapersons wherein he, along with cameraman Suraj, can be seen being manhandled by bandh supporters at the Dak Bungalow crossing in the city, who accused them of working for a partisan media platform. Some bandh supporters snatched away the camera and banged it on the road while others tried to prevent bystanders from filming the incident on mobile phones.

The RJD though distanced itself from the incident. “We condemn the attack on the journalist. It was the handiwork of anti-social elements who had disguised themselves as bandh supporters to bring disrepute to our agitation,” RJD national vice-president and former union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said. But, the BJP blamed the RJD-Congress combine for the incident.

Patna SSP said that no major violence had taken place anywhere in the state capital. As regards the assault on the journalist, we will investigate the matter and take action after identifying the culprits, the SSP said.