NEW DELHI: Zee News team was attacked near Sukhdev Vihar metro station in Delhi on Thursday (January 30, 2020) during the coverage of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests. Zee News senior reporter Jitendra Sharma and his associate Neeraj Gaur had arrived at Sukhdev Vihar metro station in Delhi to cover the ongoing anti-CAA protests along with cameraperson Qamar Khan when they were heckled and assaulted by the protesters from Jamia area of Delhi.
During the incident, the anti-CAA protesters tried to snatch the mobile and personal belongings of Jitendra Sharma and Neeraj Gaur. The channel's camera and recording equipment were completely damaged by the anti-CAA protesters, who also shouted anti-government slogans.
The agitating anti-CAA protesters also broke the camera and Live Unit of the channel. The incident comes hours after a young man, reportedly a minor, brandished a locally-made pistol and opened fire at the anti-CAA protesters in Delhi's Jamia area in which a student was injured.
Narrating the whole incident, Sharma said that he along with his team had gone there to cover the ongoing anti-CAA protests and talk to the protesters but they attacked them and damaged their equipment. The Zee News team was dragged by the protesters to several meters and attempts were made to thrash them, snatch their belongings.
Several political leaders, including BJP's GVL Narshimha and Congress politician Rashid Alvi, have strongly condemned the attack on the Zee News team and called for strict action against the culprits.
Meanwhile, protests continue near Jamia Millia Islamia University against Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and heavy police force has been deployed there.
Several hundred people most of them women have been protesting against CAA in Jamia area of the national capital for 45 days (till January 30, 2020). The protesters had on January 27 not even allowed Zee News Editor-In-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary to cover the agitation. They did not allow Sudhir Chaudhary to cross the police barricade.
Sudhir Chaudhary kept on urging the protesters to allow him to meet them and bring their concerns over the CAA before the government but the protesters did not accept his request. Sudhir Chaudhary was accompanied by senior journalist Deepak Chaurasia during his visit to Shaheen Bagh.
