Indian Journalist Attacked, Abused by Khalistani Supporters in US

An Indian journalist, named Lalit Jha who is based in Washington, claimed that he was physically attacked and verbally abused by pro-Khalistani protestors. The incident took place outside the Indian Embassy in the United States.

According to reports, Jha was attacked by pro-Khalistani protestors while he was covering the protest on Saturday afternoon.

The journalist claimed that he was hit on his left ear with two sticks by the Khalistani supporters. Further, he shared a video of the Khalistani supporters on his Twitter handle.

The protesters included turbaned men of all ages who raised pro-Khalistan slogans. They came from different parts of the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area, ANI reported. The organisers used microphones to make anti-India speeches both in English and Punjabi and targeted the Punjab Police for alleged human rights violations.

Sharing the video on Twitter, Lalit Jha wrote, "Thank you @SecretService 4 my protection 2day 4 helping do my job, otherwise I would have been writing this from hospital. The gentleman below hit my left ear with these 2 sticks & earlier I had to call 9/11 & rushed 2 police van 4 safeties fearing physical assault."

In a similar instance, last year in November, a journalist of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was allegedly arrested and physically assaulted by authorities in China while covering news on the ongoing protest in Shanghai.

In a statement, BBC showed concern over the reports that its journalist in China, Ed Lawrence was beaten and kicked by the police while he was being arrested.

“The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai. He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist,” BBC said.

Also Read: BBC Journalist Allegedly Handcuffed, Assaulted by Cops in China