Attacks – Journalists

The assault on the Maharashtra Daily journalist in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon area was captured in a video that went viral the following day. In the video, Mahajan is seen being pulled from his motorbike and beaten up by at least three men. The men have since been alleged to be supporters of local MLA Kishore Patil.

Police lodged a Non-Consignable (NC) complaint against the three people for the attack and said they were checking for links to the politician. Police also said the journalist did not suffer serious injuries but that the case was registered under sections 323, 504, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code based on the nature of injuries the journalist  sustained.

According to subsequent reports, the attack was linked to the journalist’s online response a meeting between Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, and the parents of an eight-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and murdered a few days earlier. In the post, Mahajan was reported to have called the politician’s meeting with the girl’s parents an “eyewash”. Shortly after, local MLA Kishor Patil is alleged to have called the journalist to abuse him. An audio clip of Patil’s conversation was also purportedly shared on social media platforms.