Five journalists have been beaten up and verbally abused in Bara, a district in the southern plain in the central region of Nepal on March 21, 2012.
The followers and protectors of Ram Bahadur Bamjan who is claimed to be little Buddha for his years long meditation and seclusion beat up journalists while taking photographs of Bamjan as he was being made public for sermon.
Talking to Freedom Forum's Media Monitoring Desk, Bibhu Adhikari, reporter with the News 24 Television, said, "Although we (I, Resham Tiwari of Nepal Television, Binod Pyakurel of Tarai Television, Basanta Khatiwada of Ghatana Ra Bichar weekly and Prakash Lamsal of Image Television) were called to make news, some of the followers and protectors including Darshan Limbu, Bolhari Rai, and a German national beat us, seized our cameras and damaged the reels while taking photographs about Bamjan who was being made public for sermon after meditation."
The followers of Bamjan also spoke foul on them, he said, adding that they reached to the police for help.
It is the latest incident as a series of attack and threats on journalists from different quarters.
Freedom Forum condemns the incident as it is the incident of press freedom violation, and strongly urges the local administration to mete out action on those who beat up journalists so that it would help minimize impunity and make journalists feel justice.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022