KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
A journalist was allegedly assaulted by police escorting Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone in Srinagar on Monday.
The incident took place when Javaid Malik, a senior editor with a Srinagar based newspaper, tried to seek the minister’s intervention after his security guards allegedly passed a lewd comment on Malik’s wife.
Malik told KNS that he was travelling with his wife in a car at Bagh-e-Mehtab when a cavalcade of a minister passed through the route.
“I gave side to that cavalcade but the guards of the minister passed a lewd comment on my wife that I even cannot narrate,” Malik said, adding that he later tried to stop the cavalcade and sought minister’s intervention.
“When I told the Agriculture Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone the whole incident, he instead of taking any action against the erring cops, directed his guards to beat me up. I was ruthlessly thrashed and beaten to pulp at minister’s behest,” Malik said.
“They (guards) were so rude. They kept on beating me despite my wife pleading before them,” Malik said.
Later, he was bundled into a vehicle and handed over to police station Chanapora by the guards of the minister.
After senior journalists rushed to the police station Chanapora to rescue Malik, Superintendent of Police South City, Shridhar Patil and concerned SDPO Dawood Ayoub too rushed in.
The SP tried to pacify the journalists who demanded strict action against the PDP Minister.
The SP assured the media persons that the matter was being investigated. “We are getting complaints from both the sides, the matter is being investigated,” the SP said as Malik was released to go home after formal medical check up.
When contacted for his comments, the cell phone of Agriculture Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone was switched off.
