bhopal

Updated: Oct 10, 2015 20:23 IST

A journalist was assaulted by a local Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) leader and his brother in Shastri Nagar in Jabalpur, police said on Saturday.

The journalist, Ashish Vishwakarma was attacked with a sword and a baseball bat by a local BJP leader Hridayesh Rajput and his brother Neeraj, said additional superintendent of police GP Parashar.

According to police, Rajput and his brother Neeraj had invited Vishwakarma to their residence on the pretext of celebrating the latter’s birthday and attacked him with a sword and a baseball bat as soon as he entered the house.

Vishwakarma sustained severe injuries on the head and the body, managed to escape and call his family members, who admitted him to a hospital in the neighbourhood, police said.

In his statement to the police, Vishwakarma said that he had a published a story to which Rajput had objected but latter the matter was settled.

He said that his family members reported the attack to the Garha police station but did not get any response. The Shastri Nagar colony falls under the jurisdiction of Garha police station.

Later, the family members approached the city superintendent of police and other officials.

Additional superintendent of police GP Parashar and city superintendent of police Azeem Khan are now handling the case, district police chief Dr Ashis, who goes by one name, told Hindustan Times.

“Town inspector HR Kaurav has been removed from the Garha police for mishandled the case,” he said.

“The police are close to arrest the two BJP leaders, who attacked the journalist. A case of attempt to murder has been registered against the two at the Garha police station.”