PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Haldwani
Police arrested two men on charges of attacking a journalist Deepak Adhikari while he was covering illegal construction in the Unchapul area of Haldwani, Nainital district on Tuesday. The police took action after chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed the district administration following the incident. The Nainital senior superintendent of police Manjunath TC stated that the police registered a case against the accused based on the journalist’s complaint and booked them under relevant charges. A joint team of the local authority and municipal corporation also demolished the illegal construction at the site using a bulldozer. The officials informed that the attack occurred when Adhikari was reporting on construction over the Unchapul drain. According to his complaint, the accused reportedly assaulted him with weapons and after beating him, pushed him into a drain about 20 feet deep. Local residents helped rescue him and took him to a private hospital for treatment. The Nainital district magistrate Lalit Mohan Rayal and Kumaon commissioner Deepak Rawat instructed officials to act immediately. Following their orders, the administration demolished the illegal structure on government land. Journalist organisations and local representatives condemned the attack and demanded authorities to take strict action against the accused.
