JAMMU: Two people were arrested for allegedly assaulting five journalists in Jammu’s Bhatindi area on Tuesday. Rohingya refugees, suspected to have perpetrated the attack, are now under the scanner.
After an RTI report, filed by activist Rohit Choudhary, revealed that 27 Jammu-based Rohingya refugee families own SIM cards, the journalists went to investigate how the illegal immigrants were in possession of devices that require user identity authentication.
“Me and my cameraman, accompanied by Rohit Choudhary, national TV channel reporter Ajay Jandial and his cameraman were walking through the region when two people deboarded from a vehicle and attacked us with rods and sticks,” said Tejinder Sodhi of Republic TV.
It is believed that the miscreants objected to the story they were covering, which led to the assault.
Jammu IGP Dr S D Singh Jamwal said two Jammu residents, identified as Mohammad Ashraf and Sher Mohammad, were arrested and a case registered in connection with the attack.
Jammu SSP Dr Vivek Gupta, however, ruled out the involvement of illegal immigrants in the crime. “Preliminary investigation revealed that Rohingyas weren’t responsible for the attack. We are trying to ascertain the exact reason behind targeting journalists,” he added.
Condemning the assault, secretary general of the Jammu Press Club, Zorawar Singh Jamwal, said, “This isn’t the first time journalists have been attacked while on duty. The state government must ensure the safety of working journalists who risk their lives to discharge their duty in strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir. The miscreants should be strictly dealt with.”
