The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, September 19, strongly condemned what it called a “deliberate attack” on senior journalist and DD News anchor Ashok Shrivastav. The incident, which occurred late Wednesday night, has sparked a political storm, with the BJP pointing fingers at the Congress for allegedly targeting media personnel critical of the party.
According to journalist Vikas Bhadoria, Shrivastav was involved in a serious accident when an SUV rammed into his car from behind as he left his office around midnight. Bhadoria, who shared the details on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), claimed that the attack followed Shrivastav’s vocal protest against the recent mistreatment of India Today journalist Rohit Sharma by Congress workers in the US. Shrivastav’s protest, Bhadoria suggested, had rattled the Congress ecosystem.
“Last night, senior journalist Ashok Shrivastav was the target of a deadly attack. As he was leaving his office around midnight, an SUV rammed into his car from behind,” Bhadoria wrote. He further questioned whether raising one’s voice in protest justifies an attempt on their life. “But does raising a voice in protest warrant someone’s life being at risk?” Bhadoria asked in his post.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya quickly responded to the incident, labelling the attack as a calculated move rather than a mere coincidence. “Just yesterday, Ashok Shrivastav protested against the misbehaviour and attack on India Today journalist Rohit Sharma in America by Congress workers,” Malviya stated. “The entire eco-system of ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’ was infuriated by this protest. Last night itself, Ashok Shrivastav was attacked.”
Malviya didn’t hold back in his criticism of the Congress, accusing the party of adopting an “emergency mentality” and attempting to silence journalists. “The culprit will not be spared, but an attack on the lives of those who protest? Congress should come out of its emergency mentality. This country is not their property, and journalists are not their slaves,” he added.
The incident comes just a day after Shrivastav, along with other journalists, held a protest outside the Press Club of India, condemning the assault on India Today’s Rohit Sharma, allegedly by members of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s advance team in the US. The group of protesting journalists also met with Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, submitting a memorandum that called for action against those responsible for the assault on Sharma.
The BJP’s strong reaction to the attack on Shrivastav has further fueled an ongoing war of words between the ruling party and the Congress, especially concerning the treatment of media professionals. The opposition Congress, meanwhile, has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.
As investigations into the incident continue, questions about media freedom and political retaliation have once again come to the fore, with Shrivastav’s colleagues and supporters demanding accountability for what they see as an attempt to silence dissent.
