TNI Bureau: A score of senior journalists were reportedly assaulted by police personnel during the Ratha Jatra 2025 celebration in Puri on Friday.

As many as 52 senior and eminent journalists of the state were reportedly taken to Puri by the I&PR Department for the media coverage of the Ratha Jatra. The department even had arranged cordon passes for them.

All the journalists reached the Singha Dwara of the Jagannath temple and tried to enter the cordon meant for them. However, the police did not let them to enter the barricade. The journalists showed their press credentials along with the cordon passes, but instead of allowing them, the cops present there allegedly assaulted them so badly that at least 8 of them were injured. They included Senior Journalists Prabhu Kalyan Mohapatra, Pradyumna Mohanty, Sanat Mishra, Ramesh Mohanty, Hara Prasad Das and Giridhari Lal Sarangi. Even a DIPRO of I&PR Department, was reportedly injured.

Bijayeeta Tripathy, who is a PR Professional and was in the team of the journalists, was pushed by one of the cops so strongly that she received grievous injuries on her hand and was rushed to the camp hospital for treatment that included 20 stitches on her hand.

The cops’ assault on the senior journalist was heavily condemned by all who urged CM Mohan Charan Majhi to order a probe and take action against the concerned police personnel.