MUMBAI: A journalist with a regional daily was attacked by a group of persons in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, police said on Thursday.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Vijay Wadettiwar and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut condemned the attack and alleged that "goons" of local Shiv Sena MLA Kishor Patil were behind it.
However, Patil denied the charge and said he had no connection with the incident, which took place in Pachora area of Jalgaon on Wednesday afternoon.
The journalist, Sandeep Mahajan, had reported about a case of rape and murder of a minor girl in Pachora area and criticised Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over the incident.
An audio clip recently went viral on social media wherein Pachora legislator Patil was purportedly heard abusing the journalist.
Talking to PTI, Patil said, "I had verbally abused him (Mahajan) as there were strong reasons for it. However, I have no connection with the attack that has taken place. I was in Mumbai when the incident occurred. I do not support this attack."
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Supriya Sule also condemned the incident and demanded that the state government take action against the attackers.
A video of the incident went viral on social media platforms in which journalist Sandeep Mahajan was seen being pulled down from his two-wheeler and kicked and punched by some persons.
Based on a complaint filed by the journalist, the Pachora police have registered a non-cognisable offence against three-four persons under Indian Penal Code Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 criminal intimidation, an official said.
The police have issued notices to the accused persons, he said.
Senior state Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar in a social media post said, "I condemn the cowardly attack on journalist Sandeep Mahajan by the goons of Shiv Sena MLA Kishor Patil. People will show such an arrogant MLA and his government their place soon."
It is now clear what happens to the common man in a state where the voice of journalists is suppressed and they are beaten up, he said.
"The journalist had raised questions and sought justice for an eight-year girl who was raped and murdered, the Congress leader said, noting the girl was from Patil's constituency. Mahajan's reporting of the incident irked Patil and the latter abused him in filthy language," he claimed.
"Will the chief minister and home minister show courage to take action against Patil?" the Congress leader asked.
NCP working president and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule also condemned the attack on Mahajan.
"It is anti-democratic and a very serious matter, where goons are sent to beat up a journalist for asking difficult questions to the chief minister of the state. It is the right of the journalists to ask questions, and it is unfortunate if such right is taken away from them," she said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"How can the state's home minister sit quietly and watch such attacks? He should take immediate action against the goons and people backing them," she demanded.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged Mahajan was mercilessly attacked by "goons of Shinde faction MLA Kishor Patil".
"Law and order in the state have deteriorated so much. I think Maharashtra is going the Manipur way," the Rajya Sabha member claimed.