On December 25, engineers at an irrigation project in Biratnagar, a city in the eastern plains of Nepal, brutally attacked Brahmadev Yadav, guest editor with the Birat weekly, over the news he published on the financial irregularities and corruption thriving in the project.
Sunsari Morang Irrigation Project Manager Madhukar Prasad Rajbhandari called editor Yadav on Wednesday in the Project Office where three engineers spoke foul and attacked editor Yadav reasoning he had published the news about the project in his newspaper a month ago.
Talking to Freedom Forum's Media Monitoring Desk, guest editor Yadav said, "Engineers Kedar Tiwari, Prem Chandra Jha and Tara Poudel thrashed me asking why I published the news on financial irregularities of the Project. They also took me to a guest house nearby and locked me up for three hours in a room. They seized my phone and threw away. An employee in the guest house secretly released me and I fled."
He further said he had reached his friends all in blood over his face. He got injuries on his face.
Questioned whether the local administration and the police have taken any action over such attack, guest editor Yadav said two engineers Tara Poudel and Prem Chandra Jha were arrested on the very day while Kedar Tiwari was on the run.
Meanwhile, Chief District Officer was learnt to have told editor Yadav to compromise with the attackers.
Freedom Forum encouraged victim editor Yadav and his friends to continue vigil and seek stringent action against the attackers. Yadav and his friends said they were filing a case of murder attempt and captivity against the engineers.
Freedom Forum vehemently condemns the attack which grossly violated the press freedom and spread terror among the journalists. The incident show that the journalists reporting on corruption are always on target. Similarly, the CDO is urged strongly to take stringent action against the assailants and help check impunity and encourage atmosphere for free reporting.
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