By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 1 Sep: Young journalist from Rishikesh Yogesh Dimri has been attacked allegedly by liquor mafia and injured seriously, for writing against large scale illicit liquor trade in Rishikesh. Some videos of the attack have also gone viral on social media but the Police are yet to make any arrest in the case so far. Attack on Dimri has been condemned by various serious journalists and journalist unions and associations. At first, Dimri was admitted to a local hospital in Rishikesh but has now been shifted to AIIMS Rishikesh by some of the journalists.
According to the journalists who had admitted him to AIIMS Rishikesh, Dimri has been injured seriously in the attack by alleged liquor mafia. His jaw bone has been fractured and will need surgery. He has also suffered serious head injuries and a fractured leg. Ironically, despite the news prevailing on news portals and social media across the day, Dehradun and the local Police have chosen not to comment or react on it. Sources close to Dimri as well as many local people in Rishikesh claim that the police and the local administration have been hand in gloves with the liquor mafia and have also backing of some higher ups. It may be pertinent to point here that liquor trade is completely banned within the municipal boundaries of Rishikesh as well as Haridwar. Yet, illicit trade is rampant in both the cities. Dimri had been continuously writing against the illicit trade and the liquor mafia in his weekly publication and digital news portal Aamla News and had therefore faced the wrath of the liquor mafia in Rishikesh. It is unfortunate that no political leader has condemned the attack so far and at the same time, the Police have also not commented on the incident. It is ironic that just a day before, a delegation of journalists had met Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami complaining about the high handed approach of the Police and the harassment it was meting out to scribes over news. Dhami had assured the media persons that no journalist will be harassed by any officer in the state. Yet, so far no one from the government has bothered to comment even when a large number of journalists have condemned the attack.
It may also be pertinent to point here that while Dimri has been reporting on illicit trade of liquor in Rishikesh, where there is ban on sale of liquor, the police had failed to take any action against the liquor mafia. Sources in Rishikesh have claimed that one of the criminals behind the attack on Dimri has been in the past too accused of illicit liquor trade and some years before was one the main accused in the Rishikesh Tincture case where around 18 people had died after consuming illicit liquor. This man has been allegedly involved in illicit liquor trade since past several decades and allegedly holds lot of political influence in the area.
Journalists across the state have appealed to the Chief Minister as well as DG Information, Banshidhar Tiwari to provide financial aid for Dimri’s treatment.
