Journalist Attacked While Reporting on Illegal Construction, Suspects Remain at Large

sneha Barve, a journalist specializing in environmental issues, vows to return to work despite suffering a concussion, facial fractures, and back injuries from a brutal assault on July 4. Barve was attacked while investigating illegal construction on a riverbed in Manchar, a town east of Mumbai, Maharashtra.

the incident occurred when Barve, reporting for the YouTube channel of her newspaper, Samarth Bharat pariwar, was surrounded by a dozen men, including contractor Padurang Morde, at the construction site. The men attacked Barve with wooden bars, continuing to assault her even after she lost consciousness and threatening her life, according to a video of the incident posted online.

Despite video evidence, Manchar police initially refused to register Barve’s complaint. Following public outcry, they eventually filed a report but did not include an attempted homicide charge. Police classified the assault as “serious injury,” “act of intimidation,” and “unlawful assembly,” overlooking the “Maharashtra Media Persons and Media Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2017,” which protects journalists and carries penalties of up to three years in prison.

The primary suspects, including contractor Padurang Morde, have not been arrested.While Morde’s hospitalization for a fractured foot has been cited as a reason for the delay, local judicial and medical sources reportedly dispute this claim.

Barve remains determined to continue her fight against corruption, stating, “I don’t intend to stop fighting corruption.”

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