Regional reporters frequently face extreme violence without corporate backing. In May 2025, Bijay Pradhan, a reporter in Odisha, was tied up and brutally beaten for two hours while investigating irregularities in a local construction project. The attackers ruptured his eardrum and snatched his recording equipment to suppress the truth.

The Bharat Media Association demands severe action against the instigating contractors, stressing that rural investigative journalists must be guaranteed immediate state protection to safely resume their vital field reporting.