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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of reports detailing the brutal assault of a TV journalist while he was covering alleged corruption at a construction site in Kulthipali village in Balangir district on May 25.
According to media reports, the journalist was suddenly ambushed by a group of individuals while documenting the site, where locals had raised corruption allegations. The attackers reportedly tied his hands and legs, paraded him through the village, and later bound him to a pole before subjecting him to a ruthless beating. Recognising the gravity of the situation, the NHRC stated that if the allegations are true, they constitute a severe violation of human rights. Consequently, the Commission has issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Odisha, seeking a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. Further reports indicate that the perpetrators also destroyed the journalist's mobile phones and video camera, threatening him against publicising details of the incident or the alleged irregularities at the construction site. According to reports, Bijay Pradhan, a journalist from a privately-owned Odia-language news outlet, was recently tied up and brutally beaten by a group of men while investigating alleged corruption at a construction site in Kulthipali village, Bolangir district. A widely circulated video on social media shows Pradhan being kicked and dragged by his attackers. The assault, which lasted for two hours, resulted in a ruptured eardrum, and he is currently receiving treatment at Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital. Pradhan further stated that the assailants forcibly took his mobile phone, which contained footage of the incident, along with his microphone and other reporting equipment--an apparent attempt to prevent him from covering the story. (ANI)
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