Alleged Dera supporters attacked a TV18 crew in Sirsa on Sunday morning during the curfew relaxation from 6 am to 11 am. The crew was filming the Dera Sacha Sauda from the main road outside the dera at about 10.20 am. Cameraman Sunil, reporter Dharamvir Sharma were in a Swift Dzire car driven by Inderjit.

Suddenly, a Swift car began following them. They drove 6 km to shake off the car, but they had to stop at a police barricade, where the Swift car caught up with them. The men inside then pulled out the TV 18 crew members from their car, beat them and tried to snatch their camera; all in the presence of the police and paramilitaries at the barricade. “We were assaulted in front of security personnel,” said Sharma. The men then drove away with the journalists’ car. Police recovered it and returned it to them after a 90 minute search.