Journo accuses Malik of assault, latter says scribe barged into his house

SRINAGAR:A television journalist accused separatist leader Mohammad Yasin Malik of assaulting her cameraman on Friday, while Malik lodged a police complaint saying she had barged into his bedroom to ask him questions.

The journalist alleged Malik pushed the channel’s cameraman down a flight of stairs. She said he also smashed their mobile phones.

Malik denied the allegations and said the reporter did not seek permission to enter his bedroom.

The chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) said he had taken away her mobile phone because he thought she was using it as a recorder.

“She had lied to my sister that she had an appointment with me. The fact is she never called for an appointment,” he told reporters at a press conference here.

He said he had complained to the police against the reporter for “breach of privacy”.

A senior police official said the police had received a complaint.

“After studying it, we will take action. The law will take its own course,” he said.

The journalist later said she and the cameraperson had made a “legal and ethical entry” into his house.

“Malik could have asked us to leave the location. Instead, he smashed our mobile phones. He assaulted the cameraperson, and pushed him from the stairs.”

She said he had accused them of trying a “sting operation” on him.

“We asked questions. If you don’t want to answer at least say you don’t want to speak,” the journalist said.