Puri: Various social organisations and associations of working journalists have condemned traffic police attack on a photojournalist of Odia daily Dharitri in the Holy City here Monday.
Puri journalists’ Association president Purusottam Palei condemned the incident. “We would raise the issue with the director general of police (DGP) and inspector general of police (IGP),” he said.
Odisha Journalists’ Association Puri district president Bijay Kumar Mishra too criticised police for the assault. “Hurling abuses at a photojournalist and attacking him on a public place are totally condemnable,” he said.
Senior journalist Ranjit Mishra said the traffic constable had committed an inhuman act by assaulting the photographer. “It is the duty of police to maintain law and order. They must not take law into their hands,” Mishra said.
Senior journalist Ramesh Chandra Singh demanded that police should release the CCTV footage of the incident. “They should release the CCTV footage, so that people would know the truth. The police higher-ups have shifted the traffic constable but they are yet to provide justice to the victim,” Singh said.
Similarly, Patitapaban Newspaper Distributors’ Association condemned the incident.
Notably, traffic constable Baman Charan Mansingh had hurled abuses at photojournalist Yagneswar Mohanty and assaulted the latter over parking of a bike near Srimandir. Mohanty had sustained injuries on his face.
