Balangir: Four persons, including a minor, have been arrested in connection with the attack on journalist Bijay Kumar Pradhan at Kulthipali village in Odisha’s Balangir district.
However, a local contractor Gajendra Dalai, stated to be the mastermind, is still absconding and efforts are on to nab him.
Three of the arrested accused have been identified as Abinash Dalai, Aditya Jena, and Gumara Nayak.
As per information, a guard wall construction project for Rs 10 lakh was underway in the village but there was no signboard displaying project details and allegations of corruption surrounding the work had surfaced. Journalist Bijay Pradhan had visited the village to gather information and record visuals related to the alleged irregularities.
When he was taking video at the site, some miscreants suddenly attacked him. They tied his hands and legs, paraded him through the village, tied him to a pole and thrashed him.
The ordeal reportedly lasted for two hours, after which the attackers took him to a nearby temple and forced him to take an oath not to report anything about the incident or the construction work.
The attackers also damaged his camera and two mobile phones and allegedly looted cash from him. Following the incident, Pradhan filed a written complaint at Puintala Police Station, based on which the arrests were made.
Efforts are now on to trace and apprehend the absconding accused. The incident has sparked outrage among journalist associations and civil society groups.
