Four journalists in Ballari town were assaulted by GESCOM employees on Friday when they went to the escomm’s office for a story. Two of them have sustained multiple injuries.
Praja TV reporter Suresh Chawan (30), PTI reporter Ganesh (42), ETV cameraperson Diwakar Reddy (26) and Vishwavani photographer Noor Mohammed (30), were assaulted before they could even enter the GESCOM office. The Brucepet police station have registered an FIR.
Suresh Chawan told The News Minute that all four of them had got a call from someone at around 11 am saying that employees were protesting against harassment by senior officials.
"We reached there and were just unpacking equipment, when they attacked us. I am seriously injured on the head and back. They beat us with whatever they found around. We are clueless as to what provoked them,” he said.
“There are three unions in GESCOM and there are problems between them too. Someone would have deliberately given us some fake information,” he said.
Suresh also added that he was interested in going for the 'protest' because a GESCOM employee had murdered his own family and then committed suicide in June due to alleged harassment.
“Nagaraj had health problems and could not go to work. Despite having informed the officials, he was being harassed. He left a death note in which he has said he was unable to tolerate the harassment by his senior officials,” Suresh said.