Congress’s Sam Pitroda calls India Today reporter to apologise for assault in US

Sam Pitroda, the chief of the Indian Overseas Congress, extended a personal apology to India Today journalist Rohit Sharma. The apology followed a recent incident in the United States, where members of Rahul Gandhi’s team were involved in an attack on Sharma.
During the personal call, Pitroda expressed his deep disappointment over the ‘unfortunate’ incident and assured that steps would be taken to address the issue.
Pitroda even stressed his commitment to press freedom, emphasising that such attacks on journalists were unacceptable.

Rohit Sharma, the India Today correspondent in the US, said he was assaulted by Congress workers in Dallas when he asked Sam Pitroda if Rahul Gandhi would raise the issue of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh during his discussions with American lawmakers.
“I stand firmly for the freedom of the press and will not tolerate any actions that undermine it,” Pitroda told Rohit. The senior Congress leader also vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, promising to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the incident.
On September 7, Rohit arrived in Dallas, Texas to interview Sam Pitroda and cover Rahul Gandhi’s first visit to the United States after becoming the Leader of Opposition.
During the interview, Rohit asked Pitroda a question about attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and this was when several members of Rahul Gandhi’s advance team raised objections and attacked the journalist.
“My final question changed everything: ‘Will Rahul Gandhi raise the issue of Hindus being killed in Bangladesh during his meetings with US lawmakers?’ Before Sam could fully answer – beginning with, ‘It’s up to Rahul and the lawmakers to decide what’s relevant, I can’t speak on their behalf but…’ – chaos erupted. One person in the room yelled that the question was ‘controversial’, and others joined in, escalating their tone. Then, a member of Rahul’s advance team seized my phone and began shouting,” Rohit Sharma said while narrating the ordeal.
Rohit Sharma also said that his mobile phone was snatched, and he was asked to delete the interview. He was even confined in a room by around 15 men while Pitroda left for airport to meet Rahul Gandhi.
“At least 15 men remained in the room, demanding I delete the last question from the interview. I stood my ground, explaining there was nothing controversial about the question and that their actions were unethical. But they persisted, taking my phone and rummaging through it, even attempting to delete the interview,” Rohit Sharma said.