A journalist has been allegedly thrashed after he went to a village in Odisha's Bolangir to report on alleged irregularities in the construction of a guard wall.
Bijay Pradhan was tied and beaten up in public on Saturday, and four persons, including a minor, were arrested after a video of the assault went viral.
Mr Pradhan was collecting information and taking photographs when a group of men allegedly confronted him. The accused also allegedly snatched his mobile phone, microphone and other equipment.
A video showed one of the accused kicking the journalist in the face.
The accused have been identified as Abhinash Dalai, Aditya Jena, Gumara Nayak, and a minor.
Senior police officer Abhilash G told reporters they suspect the involvement of the contractor engaged in the work.
"We have taken this matter very seriously. Based on the preliminary investigation, we suspect that the contractor involved in the guard wall construction may have played a role in instigating the assault. His involvement is being thoroughly probed, and he will be arrested if found guilty," he told reporters.
(With inputs from Dev Kumar)
