New Delhi, May 7, 2026—Indian authorities must swiftly investigate and hold responsible those behind an attack on two journalists who were beaten after asking critical questions to a minister in the eastern state of Jharkhand, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.
On April 28, Ashish Kumar, a reporter for regional satellite news channel Raftaar Media, and Sushant Kumar Soni, a local journalist with Hindi-language television network News18, were covering an impromptu media briefing by Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari in Hazaribagh city when they were assaulted, according to multiple news reports.
In a police complaint, Kumar alleged that members of a 50-strong crowd assaulted the journalists after they asked the minister about a recent air ambulance crash in neighboring Chatra district, which killed all seven people on board the plane.
According to the complaint, which has been reviewed by CPJ, Kumar was thrown to the ground, where he was kicked and punched, sustaining injuries to his head, chest, hands, and legs. Soni was also assaulted, and the attackers tried to seize or destroy the journalists’ camera, mobile phones, and other news-gathering equipment.
The complaint alleged that the attack was intended to cause grievous bodily harm and constituted an attempted murder.
“The assault on Ashish Kumar and Sushant Kumar Soni was not only an attack on two journalists carrying out their professional duties, but also a serious assault on press freedom in Jharkhand. It is deeply disturbing that the attack took place in the presence of Health Minister Irfan Ansari and police officers,” said Kunal Majumder, CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator.
“The Jharkhand government, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, must ensure that Hazaribagh police promptly open a credible criminal investigation into the attack and that all those responsible are held accountable.”
Soni told CPJ that the assault took place in the presence of the minister and police officers, who did not intervene. The injured journalists were rescued by colleagues and taken to hospital for treatment.
Despite receiving the complaint, Hazaribagh police have not yet registered a First Information Report, a document that triggers a formal investigation, Soni said.
Instead, police continue to categorize the matter as a “preliminary enquiry” under Section 173(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which effectively acts as a procedural delay that prevents immediate arrests.
The offices of Jharkhand’s chief minister, health minister, and the Hazaribagh police station did not reply to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.