News Brief
Journalist Claims Assault By Congress Workers In Texas For Asking If Rahul Gandhi Would Discuss Attack On Hindus In Bangladesh With US Lawmakers
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (R) with Sam Pitroda.
An India Today journalist was allegedly attacked by Congress workers last week in the United States ahead of Rahul Gandhi visiting the country.
Rohit Sharma, the India Today correspondent, claimed he was assaulted by Congress workers in Dallas after he asked Sam Pitroda in his interview whether Rahul Gandhi would raise the issue of attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus while meeting lawmakers in the US.
The reporter said his mobile phone was snatched, and he was asked to delete the interview.
Sharma said that he reached out to Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) and close aide of Rahul Gandhi, for an exclusive interview hours before Gandhi was scheduled to arrive at the Dallas International Airport.
The entire interview went well until the last question posed by the journalist.
"Will Rahul Gandhi raise the issue of Hindus being killed in Bangladesh during his meetings with US lawmakers?" the journalist asked Pitroda.
However, before Sam could fully answer the question, chaos erupted, with one person in the room yelling that the question was "controversial," and others joined in, escalating their tone, according to the journalist's account.
They assaulted him, snatched his phone, and deleted the entire video of the interview.
"Sam was as visibly shaken as I was, urging calm. However, Rahul’s supporters and team had made their decision. One individual tried to grab my mic, but I resisted. They managed to stop the recording by forcibly taking my phone,” Sharma said.
He kept insisting saying that the issue was not controversial and that their actions were unethical.
However, they continued, grabbing his phone and going through it, even attempting to delete the interview. The workers refused to leave Sharma alone and forced him to delete the interview.
The Congress workers then unlocked Sharma’s phone without his consent and proceeded to delete the interview from the folder.
"Desperate to ensure no trace of the interview remained, they even checked my iCloud – my phone was in airplane mode during the recording, preventing the video from syncing,” Sharma said narrating his ordeal.
Responding to Sharma's allegations, Sam Pitroda said he was not aware of the incident but recalled that he had a decent conversation with Rohit Sharma on that day.
"I am not aware of it. I wasn't there. I was not taken away by anyone. I had to leave as I was running late. If something like this has happened, I will look into it and follow it up," he said.
Sam Pitroda said he did not approve of anyone being mishandled and batted for a free press.
"I wish Rohit Sharma had spoken to me before going public. He decided to go public without talking to me," he said, India Today reported.
