Bhubaneswar: Opposition parties and civil outfits Sunday came out in solidarity with a woman journalist who was manhandled by security staff of a mall near Rasulgarh Saturday evening.
The incident triggered angry protests by fellow journalists at the mall Sunday demanding arrest of the mall’s sales manager Shyama Jha who was allegedly behind the attack on the woman reporter.
Sahid Nagar police Saturday registered a case on the basis of a complaint filed by the journalist who works for a web channel. She alleged that she along with a cameraman had gone to the multiplex at Rasulgarh to cover parking fee being collected illegally by the mall management.
Notably, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) in October directed various business establishments such as commercial buildings, shopping malls, multiplexes, hospitals, apartments and housing projects in the city to stop collecting parking fees from visitors. However, the mall kept on collecting parking fee on the pretext of an interim High Court order which has reportedly instructed the Municipality authorities not to take coercive action against the malls and commercial complex owners till the final adjudication of the case.
“We had come here for a ground-zero reporting on receipt of allegations about collection of illegal parking fee by the mall management,” the woman journalist told Orissa POST.
“The mall employees roughed up our cameraman and heckled me as soon as we started the live coverage. They severely beat me up and snatched my mobile phone when I tried to stop them from taking away the camera. They later confined me in a room from where I was later rescued by my colleagues. They also threatened to rape and kill me during the confinement in a room,” she added.
“We will continue our protests till the main accused, the sales manager, is arrested. Police are trying to shield the key accused despite the video clip which is doing rounds on social media and television channels,” asserted the reporter.
Meanwhile, Commissionerate Police has confirmed the arrest of Shyama Jha, the sales manager of the mall who was accused of orchestrating the attack on the lady scribe.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress held separate press meets in the city Sunday demanding action against the mall authorities for the heinous attack on the scribe.
BJP leader Golak Mohapatra and Congress leader Nishikant Mishra condemned the attack and demanded immediate implementation of laws for the protection of journalists in the state.