Odisha: Journalist beaten up inside cinema hall for opposing lewd remarks

Bhubaneswar: A journalist was allegedly brutally attacked inside a cinema hall on the Republic Day today in Odisha capital for opposing a group of students who were passing lewd and vulgar comments on women.

The victim, Kapilendra Pradhan, working for an Odia daily, sustained multiple injuries was admitted to Capital Hospital. He was given necessary first aid and was later discharged.

The incident took place at Maharaja Picture Palace, which is located a few meters away from Sahid Nagar police station here at around 12.30 pm.

The victim, Kapilendra Pradhan, working for an Odia daily alleged he was beaten up by a group of 10-12 students of Utkal University inside the movie hall when he asked them to stop passing vulgar comments on women watching the film.

Pradhan has lodged a formal complaint at Saheed Nagar police station demanding immediate arrest of the accused.

As per his complaint, Pradhan had gone to the cinema hall along with his friend and were sitting next to the the accused. One hour into the movie, around three boys started passing vulgar comments targeting some women present at the hall.

When Pradhan asked them to stop it and informed police, the accused stood up on their seats and claimed they were students of Utkal University and subsequently thrashed the journalist in presence of hundreds of people.

The accused also took away the identity card and gold chain of Pradhan. Surprisingly, neither the audiences nor cinema hall staff intervened in the matter. “The cinema hall is running without having its own security personnel to handle such type of incidents.”

The accused, some are former students’ union leaders of Utkal University, had threatened to kill Pradhan if he goes to police against them, the journalist alleged.

Pradhan, in his complaint, said: “Soumya Ranjan, Amiya Patnaik and Chintu, among others attacked me and took away my office identity card and gold chain from inside the cinema hal.”

No one was arrested nor detained by the time of filing this story.

“The accused are roaming freely on the varsity campus right under the nose of Saheed Nagar police,” the journalist alleged.