New Delhi, January 20, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the Indian state of West Bengal to swiftly investigate those responsible for assaulting at least four journalists covering recent protests and ensure the safety of all reporters, especially as the state heads into elections in the next few months.
On January 16, Soma Maity, a journalist with broadcaster Zee 24 Ghanta, and her cameraman were attacked by a mob while reporting from the town of Beldanga in Murshidabad district, according to multiple news reports and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ via phonecall. Maity told CPJ she was grabbed and lifted by two men, who pulled her hair, restrained her legs, and tore at her clothes as others touched her body. Her cameraman sustained head injuries during the assault and required hospitalization.
The next day, a reporter with news channel ABP Ananda, Parthapratim Ghosh, and photojournalist Ujjwal Ghosh were assaulted while covering roadblocks and protests in Beldanga, according to news reports. Protesters rushed at the journalists, beat them, attempted to snatch their cameras, and demanded they stop recording, the reports said.
“Journalists covering public protests play a vital role in informing the public,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator Kunāl Majumder. “We call on West Bengal authorities to swiftly and impartially investigate the attacks on journalists in Murshidabad, reaffirm their commitment to protecting members of the press, and ensure that violence against journalists does not go unpunished.”
The unrest erupted on January 16 after the body of a migrant worker from Beldanga was found in the neighboring state of Jharkhand under suspicious circumstances. His family alleged he was murdered. Protests demanding justice for his death quickly escalated into road and railway blockades and clashes with police.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been criticized for her response to the attacks, in which she urged journalists to avoid entering volatile crowds and said the incident was beyond her control.
Murshidabad Police Superintendent Kumar Sunny Raj told CPJ that two separate cases related to the attacks were being investigated and that several individuals had been detained for questioning.