Update ---------- Kohalpur media houses closed down indefinitely citing insecurity, All the media houses were shut down here in Kohalpur of the district for indefinitely after a group of cadres affiliated to Tharu Joint Struggle Committee thrashed two local journalists and issued threats of torching the media houses. A total of two radio stations and five local publications were shut down for an indefinite period following the incident. According to Chetkant Bhattarai, station manager at Kohalpur FM, they decided to shut down the media houses as there is no free and fair environment for works. A joint meeting of all the media houses this morning took the decision to shut down the media houses citing a lack of working environment. With the decision, broadcast of Kohalpur Radio Pratibodh and Kohalpur FM has gone off the air. Likewise, the publication of Mission today, Pipalbot Dainik, Margarekha, Kohalpur Times, and News Namaste has shut down. On Wednesday, a group of Joint Tharuhat Struggle Committee cadres led by UCPN (Maoist) leader Krishna Chaudhary thrashed Mission Today journalist Binod Poudel and Kohal Radio Pratibodh FM journalist Pujan Biswakarma at their offices and issued threats of torching media houses. The cadres of Tharuhat attacked Binod Poudel, 28, of Mission Today on September 2. Poudel was in Kohalpur to cover the agitation. UCPN-M’s Krishan Chaudhary, also the member of Tharu Struggle Committee had called him to his office and then beat up, Poudel said. I was thrashed because they were unhappy with the story and asked to hold a discussion on the work. Poudel said some 50 people were there in the crowd but only Krishna Chaudhary thrashed him, Poudel said. When contacted, Tharuhat Samyukta Struggle Committee Coordinator Chandra Chaudhary refused to comment. FNJ regional coordinator and central committee member Jhalak Gaire said that the struggle committee was issuing separate statements and that it was condemnable to attack a reporter because he based his news on these multiple statements.