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Balasore: A shocking picture has surfaced on social media showing a journalist from Odisha’s Balasore district, chained to his hospital bed while undergoing treatment. Notably, he was arrested after an altercation with a home guard after their vehicles collided on Wednesday.
A photo of the journalist, Lokanath Dalei, shows him lying down on a floor of the hospital with his legs attached with a handcuff and tied using a iron chain to a hospital bed.
Kanak TV's reporter in Balesore's Nilagiri Loknath Dalei was arrested by police, beaten up following a scuffle with a policeman and sent to hospital with his leg kept shackled to an iron bed. I strongly condemn the police action. @CMO_Odisha @DGPOdisha pic.twitter.com/2z8tBsDW8i
— Priya Ranjan Sahu (@spriyaranjan1) April 7, 2022
According to sources, Dalei was reportedly called by Nilagiri Police on Wednesday morning for allegedly abusing and assaulting a Home Guard. He was later hospitalised after being allegedly assaulted by cops at the police station. On April 4, Home Guard Niranjan Rana had lodged a complaint at Nilagiri police station alleging that Dalei abused him in filthy language, beat him up and threatened with dire consequences when he was on duty.
See the picture here:
Dalei, serving as a Nilagiri reporter of a local media house, has alleged his arrest is a revenge bid over over the publication of news regarding the failure in curbing brown sugar smuggling. He demanded action against IIC and second officer of the Nilagiri police station.
“The police made me sit for five hours. When I tried to get in touch with my friends, the local police officer thrashed me and I fell down. I almost fainted. Later on Wednesday evening, I was admitted to the Balasore district hospital,” Dalei told The Telegraph.
Senior journalists of Odisha condemned the police excess against the journalist and demanded strong action against the police personnel responsible for this.
Expressing deep concern over the incident, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said media is the fourth pillar of democracy. “In a democracy, one should respect differences in opinions. But putting a handcuff on a journalist like a professional criminal is not acceptable in a healthy society,” he said. Pradhan has urged the senior police officers to conduct a proper inquiry and take strong action against the officials involved in this act.
(With IANS inputs)
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