Jajpur: Even as the ruling BJD and opposition BJP and Congress were engaged in blaming each other for the attack on a journalist during third phase polling of panchayat elections in the district on Sunday, police have detained 25 persons in this connection.
According to sources, the incident took place in Bachhol panchayat under Binjharpur block. While the polling was going on, some miscreants forcibly entered booth number 2 and 4. They allegedly captured the booth by threatening the voters and election officials present there and took away the ballot box.
On coming to know about the disturbances in the polling station, reporters and cameramen of several electronic and digital media houses rushed there to cover the news.
As soon as the miscreants saw the media persons, they started attacking them. They also kidnapped the scribes, tied their hands and beat them up mercilessly. They pelted stones at the journalists’ vehicles and damaged those.
Later, the journalists who were filed a complaint at Binjharpur police station.
The editors of the media houses and journalists’ union took up the matter with the State Election Commission (SEC) and demanded security for the scribes for covering the panchayat elections.
Expressing concern over the incident and similar cases in earlier phases of polling, the SEC instructed the district administration to take stern actions against the miscreants.
On the SEC order, Binjharpur police picked up 25 miscreants, who were allegedly involved in the assault on the journalists, from different parts of the block.
It may be noted that police have already arrested 28 persons in Jajpur, 6 in Dhenkanal, 5 in Jagatsinghpur and 23 in Puri districts in connection with poll disruption incidents during the first two phases of the elections.
Earlier in the day, both BJP and Congress blamed the BJD for the violent attacks on the journalists during the elections. Though the ruling BJD condemned the incident, its leaders said it was a conspiracy against their party by the Opposition which was trying to divert public opinion with such false allegations.
Also Read: Parties Engage In Blame Game Over Attack On Journalists During Odisha Panchayat Polls
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