Journalists Angaraj Pariyar of Janchaso Khabar Daily and Prajwal Chunara of Khulanajar.com were allegedly assaulted by police personnel, including ASI NB Rana, on May 8 while covering a sit-in in front of the High Court in Surkhet. According to the journalists, the police forcibly deleted videos and other media files from their devices during the incident. “We were reporting when the police began using force against the protesters. As we started recording, they turned on us, erased everything from our phones, and physically attacked us. Even after presenting our press IDs, the officers dismissed them and hurled abusive remarks,” said Angaraj Pariyar.
The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) Karnali Province, Surkhet has expressed serious concern over the incident where journalists were allegedly attacked, threatened, and had their cameras seized and contents deleted simply for taking photographs. In a statement issued on May 9, the FNJ Surkhet stated, “We are concerned by the reported misconduct of police officers on duty towards Angaraj Pariyar of Janchaso Khabar Daily and Prajwal Chunara of Khulanajar.com. The attack on journalists engaged in news gathering is highly condemnable and regrettable. We urge the local administration to take action against those responsible, uphold press freedom as guaranteed by the constitution, and ensure such incidents do not recur.”
Similarly, the National Dalit Journalists Association Nepal, Surkhet, has also condemned the incident in a press statement. They have called on the government to respect the constitutional rights of journalists and ensure a free and obstruction-free environment for them to carry out their duties.