Senior reporter at Mega Television Bharat Lamichhane was attacked on September 20 in Kathmandu.
Reporter Lamichhane shared with Freedom Forum that on the day of incident, early morning he was on his way to the television office for work. Then, he noticed two person riding two motorbikes following him. After observing them for a while, Lamichhane took photos of the followers. In return, they seized Lamichhane’s mobile and asked him to delete the photos. They also threatened him to apologize and then started beating him.
“After about half an hour, police arrived and rescued me. Later, I knew that one of the attackers was Ward Chairperson of Kathmandu Metropolitan Office ward no. 10. Police did not arrest them”, reporter Lamichhane added, “I have severe headache and bruises all over body.”
“Police took me to Tinkune police station, returned my mobile phone back and then, called the attackers. Ward Chairperson came to the police station and asked for reconciliation. I refused and asked the police to see the video footage of incident”, reporter Lamichhane informed.
Lamichhane has lodged a complaint at the police station, which they denied registration. Thereafter, he filed the complaint at the District Government Attorney Office, Kathmandu and National Human Rights Commission.
Freedom Forum is concerned over the incident. Though the motive of attack is yet unknown, attack upon a journalist in public place is a serious threat.
FF urges the concerned authority to register his case and initiate the investigation as soon as possible. The security authority should also ensure safety of the journalist during investigation to avoid any untoward incident.
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