MP: Four BJP leaders arrested for assaulting journalist inside party office

Raipur, Madhya Pradesh: Four office bearers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were arrested in Raipur for allegedly assaulting a journalist inside the party's’ office in the city, said reports. The arrests were made after a case was registered against BJP district president Rajeev Agarwal and local leaders Vijay Vyas, Utkarsh Trivedi and Deena Dongre. Journalists protested inside the party’s office demanding action those accused. At the receiving end of the ordeal was the journalist Suman Pandey who had gone to BJP's Raipur office to cover a review meeting of the party's loss in Madhya Pradesh. Pandey said many BJP workers were present at the office where BJP was also present at the meeting. At the meeting, some of the BJP workers started manhandling another worker which Pandey began filming on his phone. "Seeing this, Utkarsh Trivedi and Deena Dongre along with Agarwal pounced on me and started beating me after which they snatched the mobile phone and deleted the video clip of the altercation," Pandey was quoted by reports as saying. The journalist was made to wait inside the office for 20 minutes after which he came out and informed the other journalists about the incident. Pandey sustained minor injuries after in the attack and then sat on a protest along with other journalists inside the BJP office. A case was registered under sections 342, 323, and 504 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), said the police. MP BJP spokesperson Sacchidanand Upasane, who was also present at the meeting, said his party men have apologised for the incident. He said a minor scuffle broke out between party workers and the journalist after which he was asked to wait for 20 minutes. When party workers saw that the journalists are protesting, they apologised, Upasane was quoted by PTI as saying. Source: Times Now