Bhubaneswar, Feb 18: Unacceptable in any Democracy and also a shame. The journalists were attacked by the miscreants during polling for the second time in the panchayat elections- 2022 in the Odisha on Friday.
According to sources, while the polling was going on in the second phase of elections in Haldia village under Gopinathpur panchayat of Chandbali block here in Bhadrak district, the journalists from print as well as electronic media arrived there for coverage.
As they were about to go to the polling station in the village, some miscreants stopped their vehicle in front of booth number 12 and 13. When the scribes got out of the vehicles to question them, they were attacked.
The miscreants assaulted the deputy editor of a local daily and reporter and cameraman of an electronic media. They also snatched the mobile phones and video camera from them in presence of police deployed there.
The local villagers said they had informed the media persons after the workers of a political party had captured the booths and were creating disturbances.
Later, the journalists filed a complaint at Ghanteswar police outpost regarding the incident.
Condemning the attack on media persons for the second time in the panchayat elections, the journalists have demanded a high-level probe into the day’s incident.
It may be noted that during the first phase election on last Wednesday, four on-duty journalists were assaulted by the miscreants in Gadisagada panchayat of Puri district. The scribes had gone there to cover booth capture by the miscreants during the voting.
Later, police had arrested eight persons in this connection.
