Former Chennur MLA Balka Suman condemned the incident. He said that scores of journalists were booked ever since the Congress formed the government.
Published Date – 12 March 2024, 09:36 AM
Mancherial: A scribe working with a vernacular newspaper was assaulted by unknown persons for allegedly exposing extraction of bribes by certain leaders of the Congress from notorious public distribution system (PDS) rice smuggler of Sironcha, in Chennur on Monday.
Venkatesh of Praja Jyothi newspaper received injuries on his face when some unidentified persons attacked him with a sharp object when he was alone at around 10 pm. In a video released by him, Venkatesh said that Mula Raji Reddy, a leader of the Congress from Chennur and his followers found fault with him for publishing a report revealing some leaders belonging to the party collected Rs 1.50 lakh from the smuggler Veeranna.
“The assailants pointed out to me for reporting news about smuggling PDS rice for quite a long time. They assaulted me and tried to kill me after picking up an argument with me. I suspect the role of Mula Raji Reddy and the smuggler Veeranna behind the attack,” Venkatesh said. The scribe was immediately shifted to a hospital and his medical condition was learnt to be stable.
Meanwhile, former Chennur MLA Balka Suman condemned the incident. He said that scores of journalists were booked ever since the Congress formed the government. He alleged that some youngsters were threatened by police. He asked whether scribes would be assaulted for questioning. He requested the DGP to take action against culprits and ensure justice to the victim.
