Journalist Attacked in Pune

Says It Was an Attempt to Kill

Newsreel Asia Insight #127
Feb. 10, 2024

A journalist and his colleagues were ambushed in Pune on Feb. 9 by members of two political parties, according to Newslaundry, which quoted the journalist as saying that he felt the attack was an attempt on his life.

Nikhil Wagle, a journalist from Mumbai known for previous instances of being targeted, reportedly faced attacks by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena (Shinde) at several locations while heading to a "Nirbhay Bano Sabha" event, he told Newslaundry.

The attack followed a controversy sparked by Wagle’s social media critique of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and L.K. Advani, leading to a formal police complaint against him and threats from the BJP Pune unit to disrupt the event he was scheduled to speak at.

Before the event, Pune police detained Wagle for hours, advising against his attendance without offering protection, despite being aware of the threats. The event, aimed at protesting attacks on students by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers, featured speakers like Wagle, human rights lawyer Asim Sarode, and others, drawing attention from various opposition parties.

“The BJP workers pelted heavy stones on our car. Somehow, we drove away,” Sarode, who was with Wagle, was quoted as saying. “When we neared Deccan, a large crowd was present. The police tried to disperse them but the mob attacked the vehicle. They banged on the car, some of them climbed on the bonnet. It went on for eight to 10 minutes. The police asked us to reverse.”

Wagle and his associates decided to change their route but “the mob caught us again at Lal Bahadur Shastri road near Dandekar bridge.”

“They were in big numbers. Some of them were wearing knuckle-dusters and used them to break the rear windshield. The police was not able to manage the mob. But what surprised us was that despite us taking an impromptu route, the BJP workers came to know about it,” Sarode added. “It was a scary situation. The mob was uncontrollable. They were attacking as if they wanted to kill us. Those 25-30 minutes were dangerous. In normal times, most of us usually say we are not scared of anything. But the way those guys were attacking us…What is most unfortunate is the police was a mute spectator.”

After reaching the event, Nikhil Wagle told the gathering, “I forgive all those who attacked me. I have been attacked six times earlier and this was the seventh,” as reported by NDTV.

The Indian Express reported the filing of a second FIR against Wagle on Feb. 10, accusing him of ignoring a legal notice from the Pune city police directed at him and the event organisers. Deputy Commissioner of Police Sambhaji Kadam told the newspaper that the event did not receive official permission.