Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Several journalists, who went to cover Hindu Mahapanchayat being held in Delhi’s Burari ground, were assaulted by a mob on Sunday.
Meer Faisal, a journalist based in Delhi, said that he along with others were attacked when they went to cover the event.
I and @mdmeharban03 were beaten up because of our muslim identity by Hindu mob. Communal slurs were shouted on me at Hindu mahapanchayat at Burari ground in New Delhi. We had gone there to cover the event. We were called jihadis and attacked for being Muslims.
— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal01) April 3, 2022
Another journalist Arbab Ali made similar allegations.
@mdmeharban03 @meerfaisal01 @MeghnadBose93 and I had gone to cover the Hindu Mahapanchayat at Burari Ground in Delhi today. The event was called by Save India Foundation. Yati Narsinghanand, Pinky Choudhary, Sushil Tiwari, Suresh Chahvanke and Preet Singh were there. 1/n pic.twitter.com/z9bf9eIlUJ
— Arbab Ali (@arbabali_jmi) April 3, 2022
Journalists belonging to Newslaundry were also attacked.
Our reporter @shivangi441 and producer Rounak Bhat have been manhandled while covering the Hindu Mahapanchayat event at Burari, Delhi.
One of the provocations appeared to have been @shivangi441‘s report on hate speech slogans at Jantar Mantar last year.https://t.co/6GtUjO7PfZ
— newslaundry (@newslaundry) April 3, 2022
A Delhi-based journalist had tweeted that he along with four journalists were detained by the police after two minority community journalists among them were assaulted by a mob present at the Burari ground in north west Delhi. In his tweet, he had alleged that ‘anti-Muslim’ hate speeches were given by the speakers present there.
Delhi Police on denied all reports of five journalists being detained from the venue of a Hindu Mahapanchayat that was organised without due permission.
“Some of the reporters, willingly, on their own free will, to evade the crowd which was getting agitated by their presence, sat in a PCR van stationed at the venue and opted to proceed to the police station for security reasons,” DCP (northwest) Usha Rangnani said. She further said that due police protection was provided to the said journalists and no one was detained.
Meanwhile, DCP Rangnani said that due necessary action shall be initiated against those who were involved in spreading misinformation.