Washington DC [US], September 17 (HBTV): Emily Wilkins, the president of the National Press Club, issued a statement on the alleged assault of Indian journalist by Congress workers in Dallas, United States, and said it may have violated the First Amendment rights of the reporter. 

This comes after media reports surfaced that a journalist, working with an Indian news channel, was manhandled by Congress workers in Dallas when he was conducting an interview with the Indian Overseas Congress chief. 

Notably, the First Amendment Rights in the US give an individual freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition. 

The incident happened just before Rahul Gandhi landed in the US for a three-day visit, the reports said.

Elaborating on the incident, Wilkins said that the said journalist, who is an NPC board member, interviewed India Overseas Congress chief, Sam Pitroda, and the interview was done in a "professional manner with agreed to recording." 

She further said that some members of IOC staff objected to the last question asked by the said journalist and stopped the interview, by allegedly pushing the reporter, taking away his phone and deleting files from it.   

"According to a recent article in @IndiaToday and confirmed in conversations between Mr. Sharma and an NPC Board member, Sharma was at a hotel near the Dallas Airport awaiting the arrival of Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader in India, who was beginning a U.S. tour. While he waited, Sharma interviewed the Chair of the India Overseas Congress (IOC), Sam Pitroda. The two had met in the past and the interview was done in a professional manner with agreed to recording," Wilkins said in his statement. 

"Several members of the IOC were listening to the interview as well as several members of Mr. Gandhi's advance staff. On the last question, members of the audience objected to the subject of the question and stopped the interview by shouting at Sharma and pushing him while taking his phone. The group, which included Gandhi's staff, deleted files from Sharma's phone and kept it from him," she added. 

The National Press Club President further said that Sam Pitroda later apologised to the journalist. She also emphasised that Pitroda "had no objection" to the question. 

"Pitroda, who had been whisked to the airport to meet Gandhi, later apologized to Sharma. He had no objection to Sharma's question and was in the process of answering when the audience erupted. Later in the week, Rahul Gandhi answered a similar question at a Press Club Newsmakers event in Washington," the statement read. 

She further asserted that the security staff must be aware that reporters working in the US are protected by the First Amendment, "regardless of the nationality" of the interview subject, reporter or security teams. She added that security team had no role in the interview and had no right to take away the reporter's phone. 

"Security staff must be aware that reporters working in the U.S. are protected by the First Amendment, regardless of the nationality of the interview subject, reporter or security teams. This was an on-the-record interview with ground rules set between Mr. Sharma and Mr. Pitroda. The security team had no role related to the content or duration of the interview. They had no right or standing to take Sharma's phone from him or delete content," Wilkins further added.   

(ANI)