Odisha police officer caught on camera ‘manhandling’ journalist

Kendrapara: A police officer has been caught on camera, violently pushing and shoving a journalist in Odisha’s Kendrapara district today. Following the incident, the police officer drew a lot of flak from various quarters, including former top cops in the state.

Reacting to the incident, State Director General of Police (DGP) R P Sharma said he is examining the video footage to ascertain the truth behind the matter.

The video footage, which was shown by TV channels and later went viral on social media, shows Kendrapara SP Niti Shekhar was purportedly seen pushing aside a reporter from a private news channel and arguing with him.

The journalist, Ajesh Mallick, claimed he had gone to cover a rally of BJD President and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Barimul in the district. The alleged incident took place near the CM’s helipad amid presence of a huge crowd and several policemen.

However, the SP couldn’t be reached for his comment on the matter despite repeated attempts to do so. (We will update the story once we receive his comments).

Following the incident, a group of journalists called upon the state police chief and sought action against the policeman for “manhandling” and “misbehaving” with the reporter.