Rakesh Sharma, a senior journalist with Dainik Jagran, was assaulted and chased for allegedly questioning BJP leaders about a security lapse in Pahalgam during the party’s protest in Kathua on the national highway near Kalibari Chowk.
The protest, held in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, was attended by several BJP leaders, including MLAs Devender Maniyal, Bharat Bhushan, and Rajiv Jasrotia.
Sharma, 58, told Newslaundry that the attack followed his pointed question to BJP leaders at the site: “Till when will you keep burning effigies of Pakistan? This is also a security lapse.” Moments later, BJP worker Himanshu Sharma allegedly shouted, “These journalists are speaking Pakistan’s language. They are questioning national security.”
#कठुआ पत्रकार ने सिर्फ़ इतना पूछा था कि " पहलगाम हमले की ज़िम्मेदारी किसकी है? क्या गृह मंत्रालय जवाबदेह नहीं है?"
— Manish Tiwari (@livemanish_) April 23, 2025
बस इसी सवाल पर बीजेपी कार्यकर्ता भड़क गए और तीन विधायकों की मौजूदगी में पत्रकार के साथ मारपीट की गई।#PahalgamTerroristAttack#Pahalgam #pahalgamattack pic.twitter.com/dkFeSjIAHM
In videos widely circulated on social media, BJP worker Ravinder Singh is seen kicking Sharma. More protesters join in, chasing the journalist as he attempts to flee. “They punched and thrashed me with whatever they could get hold of…DSP Ravinder Singh somehow saved me and rushed me to the hospital,” Sharma said.
Sharma said his clothes were torn during the assault, and when he went to file an FIR at 11.30 pm, he had to go wearing only a vest. An FIR was lodged at Kathua police station under sections 191 and 115 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Ravinder Singh, Manjit Singh, Raj Sagar, Ashwini Kumar, and Himanshu Sharma. All of them are BJP workers.
Despite multiple attempts, Sharma claimed the police have not provided him with a copy of the FIR. Newslaundry reached out to SHO Vishal Dogra for comment. This story will be updated if he responds.
Doctors at the Government Medical College noted that Sharma’s condition was stable, but he went through medical tests at AK Gupta Hospital in Kathua on Thursday due to discomfort. “I have not been able to urinate properly since the attack,” he claimed.
The city supplement of Dainik Jagran’s Kathua edition reported the attack with the headline: “Kathua mai Dainik Jagran karmi pe hamla” (Dainik Jagran employee attacked in Kathua). It did not find a mention in the Jammu and Kashmir or Delhi editions or their city supplements.
‘He wanted to teach me a lesson’
Sharma believes he was deliberately targeted. Two weeks ago, after an operation in which four police officers and two militants were killed, Sharma claims he had questioned Ravinder Singh’s comments about teaching Pakistan a lesson. “I had challenged him, asking why such incidents keep happening if your government is in power,” Sharma recalled. “He got my camera switched off. Since then, he wanted to teach me a lesson.”
Meanwhile, BJP MLAs Jasrotia and Bhushan condemned the latest incident. Bhushan termed it “unfortunate” while Jasrotia said, “Ravinder Singh did manhandle Sharma. I even went to meet him in the hospital. We have also raised the issue within the party and I have said that we should not entertain such people.”
When asked why they did not intervene, Bhushan and Jasrotia said they had moved to the other side of the road by the time the incident occurred.
Newslaundry reached out to BJP MLA Devender Maniyal and the main accused, Ravinder Singh. This story will be updated if they respond. Dainik Jagran’s news editor for J&K declined to comment.
Protest by journalists
Two other journalists who were present at the protest confirmed the assault.
Harpreet Singh, a journalist with a regional channel and general secretary of the Kathua Press Club, said, “We were really pissed when BJP leaders were not answering our questions. We said, ‘What’s the point of covering the event if they do not want to answer us?’”
Following the incident, a group of reporters met SSP Kathua Shobhit Saxena to voice their concerns. Singh, who was part of the delegation, said, “We urged him to take action…This can happen to anyone asking questions of the government. We told him we cannot even imagine what it would be for a young journalist to do this job in such an atmosphere.”
The following day, over 30 journalists from various media outlets staged a protest at Shaheedi Chowk, wearing black bands on their arms. They also declared a boycott of BJP coverage. “Three BJP MLAs were present when it happened, and none of them intervened or condemned it later,” said Singh. “Why should we cover them if they don’t care about our safety?”
Sachin Khajuria, a journalist with Hindustan Samachar, also witnessed the assault. “This was a shameful act, especially targeting a senior journalist like Sharma. As journalists, our job is to ask questions. They can choose not to respond. Moreover, we hadn’t even asked the questions to those who led the attack.”
With journalists and journalism under threat, we need your help more than ever. Click here to subscribe to Newslaundry and join the tribe that pays to keep news free.
Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.
