A journalist with the YouTube news channel Molitics, Raghav Trivedi, was reportedly attacked by a group of BJP workers and even locked in a shed during a rally for Amit Shah in UP’s Rae Bareli on Sunday May 12th. The 27-year-old journalist was reportedly physically assaulted and confined to a waiting room after which he fainted due to his injuries.
As per a report in Newslaundry, he was also called “Mullah” and “attanki” by the BJP workers. He had been speaking to local women who had reportedly told him on video that they were paid Rs 100 to attend the rally. When the journalist informed the party workers that he had video evidence of these claims, he was commanded to delete the footage after which the brutal assault against him started.
A video clip of Trivedi speaking to the women, who say they were paid to attend the rally, was posted today on X, formerly Twitter, by the journalist who has been receiving medical treatment after the violence. The woman in the clip admits that everyone has been told they will get 100 rupees for attendance. However, when Trivedi asks her if she knows Amit Shah, the person whose rally she is reportedly paid to attend, she says no.
ये वो वीडियो क्लिप है जिसको बचाने के लिए मुझे अमित शाह की रैली में लिंचिंग का शिकार होना पड़ा, ये वो क्लिप है जो 400 पार के खोखले दावे की सच्चाई दिखा रही है, वो भाजपाई साथी जो मुझे पीट रहे थे उन्हें बस ये क्लिप चाहिए थे जो मैंने उनको नहीं दी और अब उपलोड कर रहा हूँ.
हां ये सच है… pic.twitter.com/AoUB6BdKZT
— Raghav trivedi (@RaghavTrivedi18) May 13, 2024
The journalist has stated that the police were deployed at the venue near them but they did nothing when the attack was going on.
Journalists and politicians condemn the incident
The attack has received a lot of criticism, especially from the media fraternity. The Press Club of India has condemned the incident, stating that “Such things undermine India, being the fourth pillar of democracy.” The organisation has urged the ECI and authorities to act on the complaint quickly and take strict action.
The Press Club of India vehemently condemns the attack on @moliticsindia journalist, Raghav Trivedi while he was covering the Union home minister, Amit Shah’s rally in Rae Bareli, UP
We urge the EC and local authorities to ensure strict action against the attackers.
— Press Club of India (@PCITweets) May 12, 2024
The opposition, including the Congress party and UP based Samajwadi Party, have also taken to share the news on their social media. Congress leader Bhupesh Bhaghel has even stated to the media that Trivedi was beaten because the crowd “thought he was Muslim.” Members of the National Student Union of India, Congress’ student wing, also visited him in the hospital, according to Scroll.
Scores of people have taken to social media to condemn the incident. One user with the user’s name IndrajitTripathi24 on YouTube writes, “गुंडागर्दी है ये gunda raj में.” (This is thuggery in a lawless land.)
Another user, named Varun Choudhary, under Raghav Trivedi’s post on X writes that this is the price of saying the truth, “सच बोलने पर जुबान काट ली जाती है। यही तो तानाशाही है। खिलाफ़ वोट दिया जा रहा है।” (Your tongue is cut for saying the truth. This is fascism. They are being voted against.)
As of now, an FIR has been filed by Sanjeet Sahni, a camera person who was with Trivedi at the incident against unidentified people under the sections 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
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