Jharkhand News: SIT to probe Congress leaders’ assault on journalists in Dhanbad

SUBHASH MISHRA

Dhanbad, April 18: Dhanbad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) HP Janardhana has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the recent assault on journalists allegedly by Congress executive president Rashid Raja Ansari’s sons and brothers. The SIT will be led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) Naushad Alam.

Sub-Inspector Rakesh Ranjan Singh has been appointed as the Investigating Officer (IO) for the case. On Friday, he began the investigation by visiting the Dhanbad Press Club located on the Gandhi Sewa Sadan campus, where he recorded the statements of the victim journalists, including club general secretary Ajay Prasad.

The IO collected the statements in digital format and also took signed confirmations from the victims to ensure authenticity.

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Journalists Attacked During Congress Rally

The incident occurred on Thursday evening after a rally organized by the Dhanbad District Congress Committee to protest against the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had named Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as accused in the National Herald case. Following the rally, Congress executive president Rashid Raja’s sons and brothers allegedly got into a scuffle with some party workers.

When journalists began capturing the incident on their cameras and mobile phones, the accused reportedly attacked them with iron rods. The attackers allegedly broke the journalists’ cameras and snatched their phones. Several journalists sustained injuries in the attack.

Police Raid Residence, Continue Search

Following an FIR lodged by the victim journalists on Thursday evening, a police team raided Rashid Raja’s residence in Wasseypur at around 2:30 am on Friday. However, Rashid Raja and his sons were not found at the location. The police have assured that raids will continue until the accused are arrested.

Taking serious note of the incident, Dhanbad Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rajesh Kumar sent an executive magistrate to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry.

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Statewide Condemnation and Solidarity

The attack has sparked condemnation from media bodies across Jharkhand. Press Clubs from Bokaro, Deoghar, Giridih, Ramgarh, and Koderma have strongly criticized the incident and expressed solidarity with the journalists of Dhanbad. These organizations have extended support for ongoing protests against the Congress party’s local leadership.