New Delhi: Three weeks after she survived a gruesome attack by a group of men, Sneha Barve, editor of Samarth Bharat newspaper and SBP YouTube channel, has received fresh threats from the accused in the assault case.
The Pune journalist told ThePrint over the phone that on the evening of 24 July, she was stepping out from her office in Manchar village when she saw Prashant Morde, son of prime accused Pandurang Morde, with an unknown man.
“’This time, we should finish the matter for good,’ Prashant told the man,” Barve said, adding that the accused in the assault case were arrested but got bail within days.
Sunil Badgujar, assistant inspector at Manchar Police Station, told ThePrint over phone that “this is a non-cognisable offence”.
“The victim has demanded cancellation of bail. We have written to the high court, and action will be taken based on the judgment. Also, protection can only be granted when we receive orders from our seniors. No such order has been received till now,” he added.
Barve, who had resumed work soon after sustaining severe injuries in the 4 July assault, told ThePrint that she has received several threats since then.
The journalist was reporting on land grab and illegal construction of tin sheds on disputed land near a riverbed in Nighotwadi village in Pune, when a group of men had attacked her from the back with rods.
Barve suffered serious injuries to her arms, back, and head. A video of the assault, later circulated widely on social media, shows the 27-year-old lying on the ground as several men thrash her.
Five persons, including Prashant and his brother Nilesh, were arrested and booked under charges of intimidation, causing grievous injury, rioting and unlawful assembly of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
“But they were granted bail only three days later,” she said, adding that she has got threats on two occasions since the day she was attacked. “Prashant directly reached my father’s office and threatened him.”
Barve added that she and her family have reached out to the police several times and were assured that Prashant would be summoned again, but, she said, no “real action” has been taken till now.
“I have asked the police to get their bail cancelled or at least hold them accountable for threatening me. But it feels like the police are not going to help me,” she said.
Shrikant Kankar, a senior inspector at Manchar police station, had earlier told ThePrint that “main accused (Pandurang Morde) was not arrested because he is admitted in the hospital for surgery in his foot”.
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‘Will not stop reporting’
Barve, who has been working as a journalist for seven years, told ThePrint that she has been attacked at least four times during her career, including once when she was covering news regarding construction of a road.
She also alleged that she was “blackmailed by Adhalrao Patil”, associated with the National Congress Party (NCP) after he lost the elections and “once again about six months ago when Patil’s people attacked my office”.
“People who do bad things will obviously attack me for exposing them. If I am meant to die while reporting I will die, but I will not stop reporting the truth,” she said.
The 4 July assault on her is also linked to a larger land dispute.
According to the FIR filed in this case, 69-year-old farmer Sudhakar Baburao Kale from Ambegaon, Pune, had accused several individuals of attempting to illegally seize his 0.9 acres of agricultural land which is currently under litigation.
On the day of the assault, Kale had called Barve to document the fresh encroachment activity there. While she was reporting from the ground, a group of five men attacked her from behind. She was saved by the locals who also took her to hospital.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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