J&K Journalists Point Assault Finger at Soldiers During Ameesha Patel Show

Three Kashmiri journalists were allegedly beaten by Indian Army personnel in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district during a cultural event where Bollywood actor Ameesha Patel was invited as chief guest.

The incident has garnered severe criticism from different quarters and the Kashmir Press Club has sought a probe into the alleged attack.

Jashn-e-Baramulla, the cultural event was organised by the Indian Army to promote young talent. Bollywood actor Amisha Patel attended the show and performed on the title track of her debut movie "Kaho Na Pyar Hai" with other participants on the dais.

However, after the show, a few journalists from north Kashmir staged a protest alleging three of their colleagues were thrashed by the Army when they were covering the show. The three reporters have claimed that they were beaten for no reason.

In a statement, the Kashmir Press Club said that the attack on the journalists was a matter of concern.

“The Club received several calls by the anguished journalists and while sharing details of the incident they said that they were thrashed by soldiers while they were covering the Jashn-e-Baramulla function, organised by the Army, wherein Bollywood actor Amisha Patel was the chief guest. As per them the incident took place without any provocation when they were trying to get a sound byte of the Bollywood actress at the side-lines of the function,” the Kashmir Press Club statement read.

The Club has termed the incident as very unfortunate and has urged the Army to take stern action against those involved.

Meanwhile, the Army has claimed that some media persons violated Covid-19 protocols while approaching Amisha Patel for sound bytes.

“They were requested by Amisha Patel’s personal staff and by Army personnel present there to adhere to social-distancing norms. This led to an argument between the security personnel and some members of the press. The matter was however, amicably resolved,”an Army statement said.

Jashn-e-Baramulla is observed to mark the start of Chillai Kalan, a 40-day period of harsh winter which starts on December 21. Local youth mesmerised the audience as they took part in song and dance recitals.