Once again on-duty journalists faced the wrath of miscreants while covering the third phase of Odisha Panchayat Polls in Jajpur district on Sunday.
As per reports, the three journalists of an electronic media house had gone to cover the alleged loot of ballot boxes from two booths at Bachala Panchayat under Binjharpur block when they were brutally assaulted by unidentified miscreants.
A group of mob intercepted the journalists of an electronic media house, identified as Debashis Sahoo, Gulshan Ali Nawaz and Bijay Sahoo, and beat them up.
The vehicles of the journalists were also reportedly ransacked. Sources said four miscreants entered the booth and decamped with the ballot boxes from booths no 4 and 6 in Bachala Panchayat at between 9: 15 am and 9:30 am today. Later, the miscreants reportedly threw the boxes in a nearby pond.
Earlier, four journalists were brutally assaulted by miscreants, who were trying to capture a booth by force, during the first phase of polling for the three-tier Panchayat elections at Badal Panchayat under Kanas block in Puri on February 16.
In protest against the attack on the scribes, several journalists had staged a dharna in front of Gadisagada police Station demanding immediate action against the perpetrators. Later, eight people were arrested for assaulting the journalists.