A reporter of a Patna-based news channel was on Thursday outrageously likened to convicted Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab by a college principal before he was confined inside the principal’s chamber and badly beaten up by his staff while covering a student agitation.
“He looks like Kasab. Catch him and kill him,” shouted Rajkishore Prasad, the principal of B.N. College in Patna, at his security guards and other staff after he got angry with the reporter — Irfan Alam of Maurya TV — for recording the students agitating inside the college, said eyewitnesses and the TV channel’s authorities.
Irfan, when politely tried to reason with Mr Prasad, was dragged into the principal’s chamber by rifle-wielding security guards and beaten up with the rifles and sticks.
Irfan was kept confined to the principal’s chamber for about three hours. Mr Prasad himself also reportedly beat him up.
After his release, Irfan was hospitalised with severe injuries on his hands and legs.
An FIR was registered against Mr Prasad, charging him with physically assaulting the journalist and organising the attack. “We have lodged an FIR and we are looking into the matter,” said Patna town DSP, Lalit Mohan Sharma. Bihar education minister Harinarayan Rai said, “No one will be allowed to take the law into his hands.”