Guwahati: An Indian journalist living in Washington Lalit Jha alleged that pro-Khalistani protesters assaulted him physically and verbally. The incident occurred in front of the American consulate for India.
Reports stated that Jha was attacked by pro-Khalistani demonstrators on Saturday afternoon while he was reporting the demonstration.
The journalist stated that the Khalistani fans struck him with two sticks on his left ear. He also posted a video of the Khalistani supporters on his Twitter account.
Pro-Khalistan slogans were shouted by turbaned men of all ages among the protesters. According to ANI, they were from various regions of the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) region.
The organisers attacked the Punjab Police for alleged human rights violations while using microphones to deliver speeches critical of India in both English and Punjabi.
Sharing the video on Twitter, Lalit Jha wrote, “Thank you @SecretService 4 my protection 2day 4 helping do my job, otherwise I would have been writing this from hospital. The gentleman below hit my left ear with these 2 sticks & earlier I had to call 9/11 & rushed 2 police van 4 safeties fearing physical assault.”
In a comparable incident, a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) journalist was allegedly detained and physically beaten by Chinese officials in November of last year while reporting on the ongoing protest in Shanghai.
BBC expressed worry on the claims that its journalist in China, Ed Lawrence had been kicked and abused by the police while he was being taken into custody.
“The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai. He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist,” BBC said.