Syed Ali Safvi, who works as correspondent and producer for Press TV, was driving home when he was ambushed by a group of angry protesters carrying heavy metal rods and stones at Tengpora main chowk in Srinagar city last night.
After seeing Press sticker pasted on the front mirror of the car, protesters turned violent and started hitting the car from all directions. They manhandled the journalist and damaged his car beyond repair.
According to Safvi, the group of people who had gathered to protest against the killing of Burhan Wani and excesses committed by troops over the past 15 days were furious over what they termed blatant double standards by some sections of media.
“We work under extremely difficult conditions but still we have always tried to uphold the principles of free and fair journalism,” said Safvi. “But incidents like these make our job even more difficult.”
Many journalists and human rights activists in Kashmir have condemned the incident and urged protesters to show restraint.
