Texas Incident: Mistreatment of Indian Reporter Raises Human Rights Concerns

HI INDIA NEWS DESK
DALLAS, TX- Emily Wilkins, President of the National Press Club (NPC), issued a statement addressing the alleged assault of an Indian journalist by Congress workers in Dallas, Texas, stating the incident may have violated the journalist’s First Amendment rights.

According to media reports, the journalist, who works with an Indian news channel and is an NPC board member, was reportedly manhandled while interviewing Sam Pitroda, the chief of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC). The confrontation occurred shortly before Rahul Gandhi’s arrival in the U.S. for a three-day visit.

Wilkins highlighted that the interview was conducted professionally with prior agreement on the recording. However, IOC staff members objected to the final question, abruptly halting the interview, allegedly pushing the journalist, seizing his phone, and deleting files.

Pitroda later apologized to the journalist, Rohit Sharma of India Today, clarifying that he had no issue with the question and was in the process of answering when the incident unfolded. Wilkins emphasized that the U.S. First Amendment protects reporters, irrespective of their nationality or that of the subjects they interview. She added that the security team overstepped by confiscating the journalist’s phone and had no authority over the interview.