Chief of Ratopati.com’s Koshi Province bureau, Arjun Acharya was violently assaulted while reporting election activities in Jhapa on February 26. Jhapa lies in Koshi Province, Nepal.
On February 27, Journalist Acharya shared a press note on his Facebook wall stating that he was reporting on door-to-door campaign of the CPN UML party’s leader KP Sharma Oli in Kamal Rural Municipality, Jhapa along with his team. “During reporting, I noticed a few local women shouting at youth volunteers. They told me that the volunteers abused them using obscene language for supporting another political party”, Acharya said. He added, “When I tried to record on my mobile phone, a group of four or five youths grabbed me, seized my phone and glasses, and took me about 50 meters away to an isolated area, where they beat me indiscriminately.”
They did not stop even after Acharya identified himself as a journalist. They also threatened him saying, “Come to Damak, the matter is not settled yet.” Acharya sustained injuries in his head, eyes and face and is currently taking medicines after treatment at the Neuro Hospital, Biratnagar.
Talking to Freedom Forum, Acharya shared that his mobile phone and eyeglasses have not been returned back. He further informed that Deputy Superintendent of Police Kishor Lamsal has asked him to visit the police station to identify the attackers. He is also preparing to file a First Information Report (FIR) at the police station today (February 27).
A team from National Human Rights Commission has met with Acharya to discuss the incident.
Freedom Forum vehemently condemns the attack upon a journalist in course of reporting. The incident is a severe violation of press freedom and highlights unsafe environment for journalists covering elections. Hence, FF strongly urges the concerned authorities to conduct a fair investigation on the case and ensure safety of the journalists reporting in field to avoid any untoward incident. The authorities are also requested to pay heed to the safety of local women affected during the incident.
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