MUMBAI: The Mumbai Press Club strongly condemns the brutal assault on Rakesh Sharma, a senior journalist with Dainik Jagran, who was chased and physically attacked for reportedly questioning BJP leaders about a security lapse related to the Pahalgam massacre during a recent protest in Kathua. The protest, held near Kalibari Chowk on the national highway, was in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam and was attended by several BJP leaders.
In videos widely circulated on social media, BJP workers are seen assaulting Sharma—kicking and manhandling him in full public view. Such acts of violence against a journalist doing his duty are not only criminal but also an attack on the very foundations of press freedom and democracy.
An FIR has been lodged at the Kathua police station under Sections 191 and 115 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against five BJP workers. Yet, Sharma has alleged that despite repeated attempts, the police have refused to provide him with a copy of the FIR—raising serious questions about the intent to deliver justice.
We demand that the authorities act swiftly and impartially. The assailants must be arrested without delay, and the accused's political affiliation should not influence the investigation's course.
Attacks on journalists are attacks on the freedom of the press. If those who report the truth are not safe, democracy itself stands threatened.
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