Journalist Attacked By Bhopal Hospital Staff

A journalist working with Times Now was allegedly attacked by security personnel at a private hospital in Bhopal on Tuesday. In a video that has gone viral, the journalist — Govind Gurjar — can be seen bloodied and distraught.

On Wednesday, the Press Club of India issued a statement condemning the incident.

“Press Club of India has reasons to feel that nowadays; attacking those journalists who are not kowtowing before Powers-that-be has become favourite pastime of police and district administration acting at the behest of policy makers. Press Club of India strongly castigates brutal assault on Times Now’s Bhopal correspondent Govind Gurjar as there was no fault of Govind Gurjar. He simply wanted to go inside Bansal Hospital in Bhopal to see his kith and kin admitted in ICU due to an accident. Bouncer staff of hospital criminally assaulted him for no reason at all which resulted in profuse bleeding of Govind Gurjar. Even complaining to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh about this heinous incident by correspondent was of no avail. This is an ominous indicator of Bansal Hospital being patronised by the CM’s office. Press Club of India demands immediate arrest of culprits working as bouncers in hospital and compensation of the expenses incurred on the treatment of the correspondent,” read the statement.

The alleged attack took place when Gurjar went to Bansal Hospital to meet his relatives who were admitted there after being in a road accident on Tuesday. When hospital employees did not let him go inside, he objected and this escalated into a row in which the former ‘attacked’ him and ‘beat him up mercilessly’.

Following this, Gurjar narrated his ordeal in a video, in which he can be heard saying, “Shivraj Ji, this is what they have done to me. Thank You for getting my children admitted in the hospital but I was beaten up mercilessly here. I don’t have words to narrate my pain.”

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh BJP media in-charge Lokendra Parashar has said in a tweet: “The incident involving a senior journalist of the capital (Bhopal) has been taken seriously. The Chief Minister and Home Minister have ordered gathering of information and taking action regarding the same. The culprit will not be spared.”