Last week, a journalist associated with the India Today media network was assaulted by Congress workers in Dallas, Texas. during Rahul Gandhi’s US visit. Journalist Rohit Sharma had gone to Texas to cover Indian Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s much-anticipated visit. During the event, Sharma was harassed by the Congress workers as he raised the question of Hindus killed in Bangladesh at the hands of Islamists after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government there.
As per the India Today report, Sharma approached the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) Sam Pitroda for an exclusive interview hours before Gandhi was scheduled to arrive at the DFW International Airport. The entire interview went well until the last question posed by the journalist.
As the interview drew closer to the conclusion, Sharma asked, “Will Rahul Gandhi raise the issue of Hindus being killed in Bangladesh during his meetings with US lawmakers?” Before Pitroda could respond to the question, other 20-30 close associates and supporters of Congress and Rahul Gandhi who were present during the interview began creating chaos saying that the question asked by Sharma was ‘controversial’.
They assaulted him, snatched his phone, and deleted the entire video of the interview.
While Pitroda said, “It’s up to Rahul and the lawmakers to decide what’s relevant, I can’t speak on their behalf but…,” other Congress workers snatched the phone of the journalist and began saying, “Band Karo, Band Karo (Stop it, Stop it).” The workers in the midst of this allowed Pitroda to escape away under the guise of receiving Rahul Gandhi.
“Sam was as visibly shaken as I was, urging calm. However, Rahul’s supporters and team had made their decision. One individual tried to grab my mic, but I resisted. They managed to stop the recording by forcibly taking my phone,” Sharma said.
Later at least 15 men stayed in the room, demanding that Sharma erase the final question from the interview. He kept insisting saying that the issue was not controversial and that their actions were unethical. However, they continued, grabbing his phone and going through it, even attempting to delete the interview. The workers refused to leave Sharma alone and forced him to delete the interview.
The Congress workers then unlocked Sharma’s phone without his consent and proceeded to delete the interview from the folder. “Desperate to ensure no trace of the interview remained, they even checked my iCloud – my phone was in airplane mode during the recording, preventing the video from syncing,” Sharma said narrating the ordeal of 30 agonizing minutes.
Later, the workers also discussed keeping Sharma’s phone for 4 more days. But the journalist firmly demanded it back. The latter also thought of calling the police but couldn’t. “Once outside, I texted Sam to tell him what had happened. He suggested we could record another interview the next day. But unsurprisingly, it never happened,” Sharma added.
However, Gandhi was eventually asked the same question by another journalist of India Today at the Press Club event. Hindus in Bangladesh have been facing horror at the hands of Islamists after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government earlier last month. Since then, Gandhi and his party have maintained silence provoking the BJP to question the same. Attacking, and harassing journalists for rightly performing their duty is condemnable. Detailed narration about the given incident of harassment of Sharma can be read here.
