Rishi Nagar, long-time news director at RED FM 106.7, is speaking out after he was assaulted by two men in northeast Calgary this weekend.
CCTV footage of the attack shared with Daily Hive showed that two men followed Nagar outside of the Rio Banquet Hall before attacking him in the parking lot around 3 pm on Sunday, September 29.
Nagar spoke out about the situation in a press conference on Tuesday, saying that he was targeted for reporting on criminal activities impacting South Asian communities.
“What wounds me more deeply is the intent behind this assault, a clear attack on journalism and on the free press,” Nagar said at the press conference.
Nagar sustained various physical injuries during the attack, including an injury to his eye where “the retinal is under risk of severe damage.”
Nagar shared in the press conference that his injuries have not deterred him from continuing his work.
“It was a brazen attempt to intimidate, to silence, and to prevent a free press from doing its job. I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I will not be silenced,” he said.
“These cavalry actions will not deter me or my colleagues from continuing our work, nor will they dissuade the press from reporting on matters of public interest. They can break my eye, not the resolve.”
According to the Calgary Police, no arrests have been made as of yet, but an investigation is underway.
The police are asking anyone with information about the attack to contact the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477.