Lagatar24 Desk
Washington, March 26: Washington-based Indian journalist Lalit Jha was physically attacked and verbally abused by pro-Khalistan supporters outside the Indian Embassy in the United States. He was attacked by pro-Khalistan protestors while covering protests on Saturday afternoon.
The journalist further claimed that he was hit on his left ear with two sticks by the Khalistani supporters. He also shared a video of the Khalistani supporters on his Twitter handle.
Taking to Twitter, Lalit on Sunday thanked the US Secret Service for protecting him and helping him do his job.
“Thank you @SecretService 4 my protection 2day 4 helping do my job, otherwise I would have been writing this from the hospital. The gentleman below hit my left ear with these 2 sticks & earlier I had to call 9/11 & rushed 2 police van 4 safety fearing physical assault,” tweeted Lalit Jha.
“At one point I felt so threatened that I called 911. I then spotted Secret Service officers and narrated the incident to them,” said Jha, adding that the protesters took charge of the situation.
We condemn such a grave and unwarranted attack on a senior journalist. Such activities only underscore the violent and anti-social tendencies of the so called ‘Khalistani protestors’ and their supporters, who routinely engage in wanton violence and vandalism: Indian Embassy in…
— ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2023
However, the journalist decided not to take any action against those who heckled him.
Moreover, the protesters included turbaned men of all ages who raised pro-Khalistan slogans. They came from different parts of the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area. The organisers used microphones to make anti-India speeches both in English and Punjabi and targeted the Punjab Police for alleged human rights violations.
Condemning the incident, the Indian embassy said in a statement, “We condemn such a grave and unwarranted attack on a senior journalist. Such activities only underscore the violent and anti-social tendencies of the so-called `Khalistani protestors’ and their supporters, who routinely engage in wanton violence and vandalism.”
The incident comes amid recent vandalism of Indian missions in San Francisco and London. A group of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco last Sunday. The protesters were shouting pro-Khalistan slogans and broke through security barriers to installing two Khalistani banners inside the Consulate premises.
