Overview

• Journalist Bijay Pradhan was tied up, beaten and had his equipment seized on May 25 while reporting on alleged irregularities in a guard wall in Kulthipali village, Bolangir district.
• Four individuals, including a minor, were arrested on May 26 based on Pradhan’s complaint at Puintala police station and video evidence of the public assault.
• Gajendra Dalai, the contractor overseeing the guard wall project, was apprehended on May 27 for his suspected role in ordering the attack.
• Pradhan had been investigating possible misallocation and construction flaws under the government-funded Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana housing scheme when he was attacked.
• Odisha Union of Journalists and social groups condemned the violence and urged stronger protections for reporters working in remote areas.