RED FM Calgary host and news director Rishi Nagar said the two people who attacked him in the city on Sunday did so because of the reporting done by he and his team. While Nagar was sporting a large bandage on his face, he said he is dealing with include an eye injury that could lead to severe retinal damage. “These injuries are for sure painful, but what wounds me more deeply is the intent behind this assault,” said Nagar at a Tuesday press conference. “A clear attack on journalism and on the free press.” With this attack, he said it tried to harm the principles binding people together in a free, democratic society. As many people know, he said he has spent a significant portion of his career reporting on extortion and criminal activity against the South Asian community. While he suffered physical injuries, he said the attack “was a brazen attempt to intimidate, to silence, and to prevent a free press from doing its job.” However, he said he will not be silenced. Although the attackers wanted to shut him up, he said they will not dissuade he or his colleagues from continuing to do their work or the press from reporting on matters of public interest. He added they “can break my eye, but not the resolve.” The host went on to say journalism is a cornerstone of a free society and is required to stop corruption, crime, and injustice. To the people who orchestrated the attack and believe they can suppress the truth through violence, he said they will fail. He said the truth cannot be hidden. As journalists, he said they have to ensure the public is informed, light is shone in the darkest corners of a society, and criminals are held accountable for their actions. At the moment, he said he is confident the perpetrators will be brought to justice. He thanked the public and journalists for the outpouring of support he has received. He revealed RED FM management is evaluating all available legal options. Additionally, he acknowledged he remains committed to his work, the truth, justice, and transparency. Nagar concluded by saying no act of violence can change that. “Journalism will continue to prevail, and the truth will continue to be told,” he said. Nagar followed up by saying he knows one of the attackers, who has been a friend for the last seven or eight years. “We have been meeting at different places,” he said. “But he was the accomplice in that attack.” Meanwhile, he said he did not know the second attacker. RED FM Calgary said on Monday Nagar has faced some blowback for his opposition to the Khalistan movement. .WATCH: RED FM Calgary host attacked for opposing Khalistan .On Sunday at 3 p.m., RED FM Calgary said Nagar was attacked by two people. “The complaint has been filed with the @CalgaryPolice,” it said.
