Anup Tiwari, a reporter with Radio Birgunj and Mountain TV, was attacked by a gang who accused him of writing negative stories about the Madhesi community.
This statement was originally published on nepalpressfreedom.org on 11 June 2017.
Freedom Forum’s stringer for Province 2, Ajay Shah, reported that Anup Tiwari, a reporter with Radio Birgunj and Mountain TV, was attacked by a gang on 5 June 2017 while he was having dinner with his friends at a hotel in Birgunj, a city in the southern plain of Nepal.
Stringer Shah quoted reporter Tiwari as saying, “While I was having dinner with my friends, a group of 7 to 8 persons who were on motorcycles barged into the hotel. Three of them approached me and accused me of involvement in anti-Madhesh activity by writing news stories against the Madhesi community. They, then spilled a petroleum product on my face and body.”
Stringer Shah added that among the assailants, reporter Tiwari managed to identify three persons as Sujit Giri, Ejaj Babu Raki and Krishna Chaurasiya.
Citing Tiwari, Shah added, “Some days ago, Sujit Giri had threatened him through Facebook with abusive words for reporting against the Madhesi community.”
Tiwari lodged a complaint on 6 June in the nearby police station, in Parsa, informing them about the incident.
Freedom Forum vehemently condemns the attack on the journalist. An attack on a journalist merely because of their profession -their right to free reporting- is a serious concern. It is a sheer violation of press freedom. FF urges the concerned bodies to investigate the case and respect journalists’ right to free reporting. The local authorities must stay informed to provide security and prevent any further attack.
