8 villagers arrested for assaulting scribe

Rourkela: Eight persons from a village in Sundargarh district were arrested on Thursday evening for allegedly assaulting a local journalist the previous night. The journalist, who sustained critical injuries, has been admitted to a private hospital in Burla.Labani Dhar Meher (45), a journalist with a Hindi daily and a resident of Nakadihi village under Bhasma police limits, had reportedly written about encroachment of govt land by a few villagers. Fearing eviction after the report, the accused allegedly targeted him. While Meher was in the village on Wednesday night, a group of villagers allegedly attacked him, leaving him grievously injured. His family members rescued and rushed him to a hospital, from where he was shifted to a private facility in Burla.Meher’s wife later lodged an FIR naming several villagers. Those arrested are Naresh Meher (44), Suresh Meher (48), Gangadhar Meher (40), Prakash Meher (31), Nehru Meher (40), Biki Meher (29), Prafulla Meher (34) and Pritam Meher (24) of Nakadihi village, said N Mohapatra, SDPO, Sadar, Sundargarh.