Priyanka Gandhi's aide booked for assaulting, threatening journalist

Sonbhadra, Aug 14: A journalist has filed a police complaint here against an aide of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, alleging he assaulted and threatened him during the Congress general secretary's visit to Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh.

Nitish Kumar Pandey, a resident of Varanasi, said in his written complaint that Gandhi's personal secretary, Sandeep Singh, also touched his camera when he was covering her visit to Umbha village on Tuesday for a regional TV channel.

Ghorawal police station in-charge CP Pandey confirmed an FIR has been filed based on the journalist's complaint. A video of Gandhi's aide misbehaving with a journalist during her visit had gone viral on social media. It showed a reporter asking a question to Gandhi on scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution when he was pushed back and an argument started.

The aide is heard accusing the reporter of being pro-BJP and asking questions at the behest of the saffron party in return for money.

Tagging the video, the media advisor to the UP chief minister asked the Congress leader to stop doing "theatrics". In a tweet, Mirtunjay Kumar said, "Priyanka Gandhiji please stop the theatrics of wiping the tears of the poor".

He wondered where were those who claimed to side with press freedom when Gandhi's secretary misbehaved with a journalist and she did not say anything to him.

"The UP government is committed to ensuring security of journalist," Kumar said. Gandhi was visiting Umbha to meet the families of 10 tribals shot dead in a land dispute last month.