Odisha police arrests nine for attacking media persons

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, May 16:

The Twin City Commissionerate police today arrested nine persons in connection with the attack on media persons while they were covering a child marriage in Khalarda village under Sadar police limits in Odisha’s Cuttack district yesterday.

Arrest

The arrested include the groom’s father and persons belonging to both groom and bride’s side. The police have also seized seven vehicles in connection with the incident.

They have been booked under sections 147, 148, 307, 323, 294, 379, 149, 34 of IPC and section 11 of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, said Cuttack DCP Sanjeev Arora. He added that efforts are on to nab the other accused persons involved in the incident.

Notably, two media persons were admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital here Sunday in a critical condition after they were fatally attacked while they were reporting a minor girl’s marriage at Khalarda village.

The district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) officials had received information about a minor girl being married off at Khalarda village. The CWC officials had informed the journalists belonging to various media organisations about the incident.

When the officials and the journalists reached the village, they were fatally attacked by people from either side of the bride and groom.

While some of them managed to escape, Prabhat Bisoi and Smrutiranjan Samant—the reporter and camera person of a news channel—and officials of CWC were badly beaten up by the assailants. Bisoi is said to have received internal injuries in the attack.

Meanwhile, there has been a slight improvement in Bisoi’s health condition who has been admitted to the central Intensive Care Unit of SCB Medical College and Hospital here, according to hospital sources.

 

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