SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 17: Media persons in Dhanbad staged a strong protest at Randhir Verma Chowk on Thursday, demanding the immediate arrest of the sons and relatives of Congress district executive president Rashid Raja, who allegedly attacked journalists and damaged their equipment during a party rally on Wednesday.
Wearing black badges, journalists held a dharna to express their outrage over the incident. Dhanbad Press Club President Sanjiv Jha and General Secretary Ajay Prasad stated that an FIR has been lodged against Rashid Raja’s sons and cousin brothers.
“If police fail to arrest all the accused within 24 hours, we will hold a dharna at the Collectorate on Saturday and begin a hunger strike from Monday,” said Jha and Prasad.
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Attack During Congress Rally
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when Congress workers took out a procession protesting against the Enforcement Directorate’s actions in the National Herald case.
During the rally, a scuffle broke out between Rashid Raja’s sons and some party workers. Journalists recording the altercation on cameras and mobile phones were allegedly attacked with iron rods by Raja’s two sons and two cousins. They also damaged cameras and snatched the mobile phones of seven media persons.
Memorandum Sent to Congress Leadership
In response, the Dhanbad Press Club has submitted a memorandum to Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, demanding the removal of Rashid Raja from his post.
“Raja has brought disrepute to the party by orchestrating an attack on media persons during a party event. He must be held accountable,” said Sanjiv Jha.
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Call for Media Boycott
The Press Club has also urged all regional and national media houses to suspend coverage of any programme organized by the Congress executive president until his sons and relatives are booked by the police.
Meanwhile, Dhanbad MP Dhulu Mahto and Sadar MLA Raj Sinha condemned the attack, stating that journalists were merely doing their duty by capturing the misdeeds during the rally.
