Issue of beating journalist echoes in MP Assly

Bhopal, Mar 11 (UNI) The Madhya Pradesh Assembly today echoed with the issue of beating up a senior journalist by a team of police and administrative officials after he published news related to Sehore Collector.

Raising the matter after the Question Hour, Mr Sajjan Singh Verma (Cong) said Sehore UNI stringer Ramnarayan Tamrakar had published a news regarding an argument between Sehore Collector and the driver of an MP.

He said a team of police and administrative officials yesterday demolished the establishment of Mr Tamrakar stating that it as an encroachment.

Speaker Ishwardas Rohani directed Home Minister Himmat Kothari to get the matter inquired and immediately get the action against the scribe stopped.

He said the matter appeared to be an act of ill-feeling and protecting the fourth pillar of democracy was the responsibility of the government.

Mr Tamrakar said he and his son were beaten severely when they protested against demolishing of their establishment. They were seriously injured and brought to the state capital. Mr Tamrakar was admitted in ICU in the Hamidia Hospital.

He alleged that the action was taken after he published news regarding argument between Sehore Collector Raghvendra Singh and MP Rampal Singh's driver during the visit of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Mr Singh to Nasurullahganj area four days back.

A false case was registered against him. When he protested, he was misbehaved with and beaten in public. Later, he was taken to police station and again beaten. No police complaint was registered.

Meanwhile, various journalist organisations in the state capital condemned the incident and demanded the Chief Minister to order a judicial inquiry into the incident. Representatives of the organisations demanded that the government bear the expenses of Mr Tamrakar's treatment and compensate the loss to the scribe.

They demanded strict action against guilty police and administrative officials.

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