Lilanath Ghimire, a journalist working for Fast Times Daily was attacked and injured by a gang led by Thaman Gurung at Hill Garden Restaurant in Shiva Marg of Dharan-13, Sunsari-- an eastern district of Nepal-- on August 15 night in Nepal.
Ghimire had reached the restaurant to cover the news regarding the involvement of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mingmar Lama in some "suspicious activities" in the restaurant.
Media personnel have accused that Ghimire has been attacked by the youth group that is operating under patronage of SSP Lama. However, SSP Gurung has claimed that he is not involved in the incident. He added that police have been deployed to detain the guilty.
Thaman Gurung attacked Ghimire with a glass and hit him in the eyes, at around 11 p.m., right after SSP Lama left the restaurant, eyewitness Devhang Rai, Dharan Municipal Coordinator of Youth Force, confirmed.
Ghimire, who is undergoing treatment at BP Koirala Memorial Institute of Health Science (BPKMIHS) at Dharan, has sustained injuries in his right eye following the attack.
Freedom Forum is outraged over the incident as the incident is occurred with the allegedly involvement of the state body, which is obliged to provide security to the press, in such violent activities. The Forum urges the government to investigate the incident at the earliest in transparent manner and bring the guilty to book. Further, the Forum asks the government to provide treatment to the injured journalist and ensure security in the days to come.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022