KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
“SHO Batamaloo told us to deal sternly with the press photographers by beating them to pulp,” cops told photo-journalists who were ruthlessly beaten by J&K Police cops in Batamaloo area on Saturday morning.
At least one dozen photo-journalists, who work with Kashmir based newspapers, were thrashed and injured by irate J&K Police cops when the media men rushed to the area to cover the protests that erupted early morning.
“The policemen at Batamaloo on seeing the photo-journalists arrived in the area stopped them and when the photo-journalists showed them curfew passes, policemen declined to honour the curfew passes, tore them and started abusing and beating them ruthlessly with canes,” a spokesperson of photo-journalists association said this afternoon.
Following the ruthless beating, a few of the photo-journalists were injured and the media men held a sit-in protest demonstration in main chowk Batamaloo.
“The policemen who roughed up the photojournalists told photo-journalists that they were only executing the orders of SHO Batamaloo, who had told them to deal sternly with the press photographers by beating them to pulp,” the association said.
“If action is not taken against the accused policemen, we would be forced to hit the streets and cordon the chief minister’s residence,” the photo-journalists said.
SSP Srinagar, Amit Kumar, has assured action against the policemen who have misbehaved and manhandled over a dozen photographers.
