Nepal police mistreated journalist Anil Kushwaha for covering news on September 29 in Dhanusha. Dhanusha lies in Madhesh province of Nepal. Kushwaha is the operator of Dudhmati media. The media runs online television Dudhmati TV and Dudhmati FM.
Freedom Forum's representative for the province Rajan Singh reported that police person verbally abused journalist Kushwaha and threatened to detain him for covering statement of a local businessman on his social media page.
"I was broadcasting a live program. A police person approached me and asked me to come to the police station. After reaching the police station, Inspector Yadav shouted at me using abusive language and threatened me not to report on the issue", said Kushwaha. He added that they had also reached the media office and intimidated the staffs. As a result broadcast was disrupted for at least two hours, he shared.
Kushwaha told that he was so scared that he shared the incident with fellow journalists after two days on October 1. Following this, the FNJ District Chapter is preparing to discuss with the police persons about the incident.
Freedom Forum condemns the incident. Threatening media persons and obstructing media operation is a severe violation of press freedom and access to information. The concerned authority is strongly urged to address the case fairly and ensure fear free atmosphere for journalists.
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