Photojournalist at Onlinekhabar.com, Kamla Prasai was attacked while covering the ongoing demolition of informal settlements in Kathmandu on April 25. Nepal government began removing the settlements along riverbanks in Kathmandu from the day.
Speaking to Freedom Forum, journalist Prasai said he was recording drone footage of settlements along the Manohara riverbank when the incident occurred. “While recording, I saw three individuals carrying protective shields and batons approaching me. I thought they were police persons and continued recording. But they started shouting at me, asking- Are you a journalist? Where is your camera?’” Prasai said.
Prasai added that due to the darkness in the evening, he could not clearly identify whether they were police persons or locals.
“While I was trying to remove the memory card from my camera to keep it safe, they snatched it, and one of them hit me on the nose. As I started bleeding, I ran away from the scene for my safety and to protect my equipment,” he said.
Prasai is currently undergoing treatment at National Trauma Center.
Freedom Forum condemns the incident as a gross violation of press freedom. Attacking a journalist and confiscating reporting equipment is deplorable. FF strongly urges the concerned to return the reporter’s memory card without harm to the data and to ensure the safety of journalists.
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