During the recent 2026 highway blockades on National Highway 12 in West Bengal, an ABP Ananda reporter and a photojournalist were viciously targeted by agitators. The violent crowd hurled bricks at the media workers and relentlessly beat them in a coordinated attempt to smash their camera equipment and stop them from recording the unrest.

BMA highlights the escalating physical danger faced by ground reporters and photojournalists. We urge state authorities to deploy adequate police protection for media personnel operating in highly volatile and unpredictable protest zones.