Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee on Tuesday defended the assault on journalists and security personnel during the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest in Delhi, questioning why reporters had gone to the protest site in the first place.
Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament amid the ongoing monsoon session, Banerjee lashed out at the media, saying, “If you want to ask Godi media-like questions, do it. I won’t say anything. Will you do this to the young people of the country? Why will they not do it then?… Why did you go there? They know that you are Godi media. What they are doing is right.”
His remarks came after the assault on Times Now reporter Dev Kotak, who was covering the at Delhi’s .
Backing the CJP and the protesting students, the TMC leader said, “We will support this. What Narendra Modi has done is unfortunate. Who will you listen to, if not students?”
Assault on Times Now Reporter Dev Kotak During CJP Protest Sparks Outrage
Kotak was allegedly assaulted by a section of protesters while reporting from the demonstration on Monday. According to his account, he was pushed, punched, kicked, slapped, and pelted with water bottles. His shirt and jeans were torn in the assault, while his phone was allegedly stolen. Kotak later described the incident as a “near-lynching”, with videos of the attack showing him being surrounded and physically assaulted by a mob.
The attack came despite Kotak having covered the protest extensively over the past 20 days, during which he had interviewed CJP leaders and reported regularly from the site. While a few protesters formed a human chain to pull him to safety and help him escape, the incident has sparked a broader debate over the safety of journalists covering protests.