Bhubaneswar, February 7: Media Unity for Freedom of Press (MUFP) held a protest meeting under the Freedom Tree near Soochana Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Monday to condemn the brutal and murderous attack on Sambad's Pipili Reporter Rajat Ranjan Dash by the BJD chairman of Pipili Notified Area Council (NAC) and his criminal gang on February 4 and demanded immediate arrest of the said ruling party politician and all those responsible for the dastardly assault on Mr. Dash.
Mr. Dash, who had been discharged from the hospital on Monday morning, was present at the venue of the protest meeting and shared shocking details of the assault on him. He said that he had become the target of the NAC Chairman S.K. Babu after he published reports on the growing public demand for a probe into the alleged large scale corruption in the local urban body.
Mr. Dash said he was beaten black and blue after the NAC chairman pointed a gun at his head and threatened to eliminate him if he ever dared write anything against him.
He also revealed that the attackers also looted cash worth Rs 12,500, a gold chain and three mobile sets from him. The NAC chairman then ordered his men to strip him and he was paraded naked for a while until local people came to his rescue and took him to the hospital. The attackers also included Md. Ashikur Rehman, Md. Yusuf, Basabanta Das alias Bichi, Pravat Sethi and others.
MUFP demanded definite answers from the Chief Minister, Home Secretary and the Collector and Superintendent of Police Puri as to why the police has so far not acted on the basis of the FIR lodged in this regard when by all accounts the accused have committed a very serious criminal offence and should have been behind bars by now.
MUFP also decided to submit a petition to the Governor of Orissa and take follow-up action to ensure those responsible for the criminal assault of Mr. Dash are brought to book.
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