Arnab Goswami’s colleague Pradeep Bhandari was physically assaulted by reporters outside the NCB office in Mumbai on Thursday as the coverage on the drug probe into Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh took a dangerous twist. The video of Bhandari being assaulted has gone viral on social media platforms.
Taking to Twitter, Bhandari wrote, “Do you know the price for speaking the truth in Maharashtra? The famous faces of the cartel are getting increasingly angry as they get exposed. They sent goon reporters from NDTV and the ABP to beat me up when they did not succeed with the police. But, I am not going to break.”
जानते है महाराष्ट्र में सच बोलने की क़ीमत क्या है?
कार्टेल के नामी-गिरामी चेहरे जैसे-जैसे एक्सपोज़ हो रहे है, उनका ग़ुस्सा और बढ़ता जा रहा है।जब पुलिस से भी काम नहीं बना तो आज NDTV और ABP के गुंडे पत्रकारों को मेरे पास हाथपाई करने भेज दिया। लेकिन मैं टूटने वालों में से नहीं हूँ। pic.twitter.com/z2fvH2KkUK— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी) (@pradip103) September 24, 2020
However, reporters present at the scene disputed Bhandari’s version. Imran Kahn of Times Now tweeted, “TRP PUNCH:Just few facts: @ndtv reporter and @republic reporter had a small altercation over coming into each former’s frame. Provoking him and directing at others who were reporting. R reporter said- *Yeh chai biscuit wale reporters* & other slurs- provoked othrs & led to this.”
TRP PUNCH:Just few facts: @ndtv reporter and @republic reporter had a small altercation over coming into each former’s frame.
Provoking him and directing at others who were reporting. R reporter said- *Yeh chai biscuit wale reporters* & other slurs- provoked othrs & led to this pic.twitter.com/2EizDF3Euj— Imran Khan (@keypadguerilla) September 24, 2020
Another journalist working for a leading TV channel confirmed Khan’s version and told Janta Ka Reporter that the fight was started after Bhandari used the ‘chai biscuit’ jibe for reporters present outside the NCB guest house in Kolaba. The reporter, who wished not to be identified, said, “We told the Republic man that he was free to call us whatever he wished because we are used to hearing such silly stuff from Arnab Goswami these days. What was unacceptable for us was Bhandari asking his cameraman to turn the camera towards us during his LIVE broadcast as he uttered the ‘chai biscuit’ jibe and many other slurs for us.”
However, Bhandari accused Khan of lying.
NDTV’s Saurabh Gupta, who too was involved in an altercation with Bhandari, tweeted, “In the face of serious provocation, abuse and misbehaviour from another channel’s representative, the NDTV crew at the spot responded calmly, with no violence or aggression as alleged by Pradeep Bhandhari . The video he himself has tweeted clearly establishes this.”
In the face of serious provocation, abuse and misbehaviour from another channel’s representative, the NDTV crew at the spot responded calmly, with no violence or aggression as alleged by Pradeep Bhandhari . The video he himself has tweeted clearly establishes this.
— Saurabh Gupta(Micky) (@MickyGupta84) September 24, 2020
Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone and Sara Ali Khan have left Goa to make themselves available for questioning by the NCB tomorrow.
