Odisha Sports Secretary Vishal Dev on Wednesday invited the wrath of journalist community after he asked a reporter of the state's largest television channel OTV to get out of a press meet held in his office chamber.
Dev’s action came a day after OTV reported the hassles of online ticket booking for the world cup hockey inaugural ceremony to be held at Kalinga Stadium. The Hockey world cup begins November 28 and will conclude on December 16.
According to OTV, its reporter Niranjan Reddy reached Dev’s chamber to collect information on the preparations for the upcoming Hockey World Cup when he was already interacting with the reporters of three other television channels.
However, when the OTV reporter placed the boom Dev’s table, he got angry and pushed the channel’s boom.
“You have come here with an agenda. I don't want to talk to you. You may go now. You have to take permission to come here. I have not invited you. I have not permitted you to come here.
Please leave. This is not a public place. This is not a park. I will talk to you later," Dev was heard yelling at the reporter.
The incident has invited angry reactions from journalists and the general public on social media.
OTV has termed the incident as an instance of “muzzling the media.”
“Will national and international media take up cudgels against this gross abuse of authority by Odisha government?” asked former Member of Parliament Baijayant Jay Panda.
