Scribe thrashed for speaking to women claiming they were paid to attend Amit Shah rally, says Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Amit Shah. Pics/PTI

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday alleged that a journalist was thrashed at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally for speaking to women who told him that they were paid to attend the programme.

In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "@moliticsindia journalist Raghav Trivedi was brutally beaten up by BJP men at the home minister's rally in Rae Bareli. The home minister kept speaking and the police kept watching as mute spectators. The journalist was beaten up only because he had spoken to some women who were saying that they were paid to attend the rally."

"The BJP, which has silenced the media in the entire country, cannot tolerate any voice being raised against them. The BJP, which is running a campaign to abolish the Constitution, wants to end democracy in the country and snatch the people's voice," she added.

Priyanka Gandhi also shared a video of the journalist in hospital. Shah attended a rally in Rae Bareli in support of BJP candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from the seat.

Sadar SHO Rajesh Singh said an FIR has been registered on the basis of a complaint by Sanjeet Sahni, who alleged that Trivedi was thrashed by some people after Shah's rally.

The FIR has been registered against five to six unidentified persons under sections 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntary causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intention to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.

Congress leader and former Chhatisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel later visited the journalist in hospital. "Rahgav (Trivedi) is saying they (crowd) thought he belonged to a different religion as he has a beard and beat him up," Baghel said and alleged that the police did not save him, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)