In hospital after ‘police assault’, Odia journalist chained to bed

A journalist – who fell unconscious after being allegedly assaulted by the police – was chained to a bed using handcuffs at a hospital in Odisha's Balasore, and was released after the visuals were aired on local news channels, according to a report by Sambad English.

“I had earlier exposed various activities of corruption and irregularities of the Nilagiri police, for which the inspector in-charge had a grudge against me. As many as 11 homeguards of the police station have got appointments by furnishing forged certificates as they had exceeded the upper age limit…Besides, the IIC has been receiving bribes from drug peddlers in Nilagiri. I had reported the two incidents,” Lokanath Dalei, a reporter associated with Odia daily Sambad and TV channel Kanak News, told Sambad English.

Dalei claimed that he fell unconscious after the Nilagiri police station IIC allegedly thrashed him.

There was an argument between the journalist and a homeguard of Nilagiri police station on April 4 as their vehicles collided in a market, according to Sambad English. On Wednesday, Dalei was told to come to the police station as the homeguard had filed a complaint against him, it said. He claimed that a police officer at the station snatched his phone after which he was allegedly assaulted by the IIC, according to the report.

The journalist was taken to Nilagiri Hospital and later shifted to the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital.

The Nilagiri police station IIC could not be reached for comment.