India / Journo Deepak Chaurasia manhandled by Delhi CAA protestors, calls it 'mob lynching'

On Friday, a senior journalist was allegedly assaulted while reporting from Shaheen Bagh in Delhi. Protests against the CAA, NRC and NPR at Shaheen Bagh had started mid-December following a violent anti-CAA protest at Jamia Millia University in the neighbourhood.

Deepak Chaurasia, the consulting editor of News Nation TV channel, has alleged that he was heckled and roughed up by the protesters in Shaheen Bagh on Friday. On his Twitter handle, Chaurasiya uploaded a one-minute video in which he is seen being surrounded by protestors and being manhandled by them. The protestors violently tried to push him away and also snatched his mic.

While sharing the video, the senior journalist said “We are hearing that the constitution is in danger, we are hearing that the fight is to save democracy! When I reached Shaheen Bagh to show the same voice to the country, there was nothing less than mob lynching!”

The cops have registered an FIR under sections 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) and 34 (common intension) against unknown persons at the Shaheen Bagh police station.

सुन रहे हैं कि संविधान ख़तरे में है, सुन रहे हैं कि लड़ाई प्रजातंत्र को बचाने की है! जब मैं शाहीन बाग की उसी आवाज़ को देश को दिखाने पहुँचा तो वहाँ मॉब लिंचिंग से कम कुछ नहीं मिला! #CAAProtests #ShaheenBagh pic.twitter.com/EhJxfWviTp

— Deepak Chaurasia (@DChaurasia2312) January 24, 2020

Deepak Chaurasia's tweet later went viral on social media with many supporting the senior journalist, however, some even slammed him.

One user also said that strict law must be in place to deal with such violence. "Is this democracy? This is the right time to make strict law to remove such type of designed/paid mob," the Twitter user said.

Another user also slammed the protestors and said: "These kind of activities can only degrade the integrity of Saheenbagh protest , it doesn't matter what kind of journalist he has become but it does that we are the one protesting to protect our constitution and our constitution don't allow this you all just gave them a chance."

One even said that Chaurasia was lucky, if he had been a journalist from Zee News, he would've been lynched. "You are lucky. Had it been a journalist frm @ZeeNews , he would've been really lynched," the Twitter user said.

Shaheen Bagh protest has been going on since December 15 last year. Protestors have blocked Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch causing inconvenience to daily commuters. The Delhi High Court had asked the Delhi Police to look into the matter of blockage of Kalindi Kunj road due to the protest at Shaheen Bagh.