By Free Speech Collective
In a heinous attack in broad daylight, journalist Sneha Barve was beaten with a wooden rod till she became unconscious while she was reporting on illegal construction activity in a riverbed in a town near Pune on July 4, 2025. Till date, the main accused, Pandurang Sakharam Morde, a local businessperson with political connections, is yet to be arrested.
The video of the chilling attack began with Barve, founder-editor of Samarth Bharat newspaper and SBP YouTube channel, speaking on video about illegal construction activity on a riverbed in Nigothwadi village near Manchar town in Pune district of Maharashtra. Suddenly, Morde swiftly raised a wooden rod and hit her repeatedly even as she screamed for help.
Barve was literally pounded with the huge rod till she became unconscious. The cameraperson, Ajaz Sheikh, who continued to record the attack, was also beaten when Morde’s aides realised the attack was being videographed. Bystanders who came to her rescue, were also severely beaten and one’s hand was fractured while another got his nose broken.
Barve was rushed to a local hospital and shifted to the DY Patil Hospital in Pimpri Chinchwad. She has sustained head and back injuries, and a CT scan of her head shows an internal concussion and swelling.
Barve, who spoke to Free Speech Collective after her discharge from hospital, said she was in no state to even comprehend the magnitude of the attack till she saw the video.
Barve said there were allegations that Morde had constructed a wall that blocked the riverbed, and this could result in flooding of the vegetable market. “I never imagined that there would be such an attack. I had gone to the spot on earlier and had taken pictures and prepared my script. I wanted to take his version too. But he refused to come on camera and suddenly began hitting me,” she said.
Who is Pandurang Morde?
Pandurang Morde, a local businessman with powerful political connections with both the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar faction of the National Congress Party (NCP). Morde has a criminal record and has been charged with murder and attempt to murder in two separate cases lodged in 2003 and 2007 respectively. He secured an acquittal in one case and the other is pending. He is out on bail.
Neither party has made any statement on the attack.
Barve became a journalist eight years ago and decided to launch her own publication and YouTube channel. “I have been working very hard and have uncovered a lot of corruption. No one else does such work in this area,” Barve said.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
