RedFM radio show host and local journalist Rishi Nagar said he’s committed to exposing extortion in the South Asian community, despite being the victim of an alleged assault related to his reporting.
Nagar spoke with reporters Tuesday afternoon, two days after the alleged assault happened in the parking lot of the Rio Banquet Hall in northeast Calgary.
The RedFM news director and prime-time show host said he believes he was attacked as a result of previous reporting he did last week on another assault in the South Asian community that he said was connected to ongoing extortion and intimidation attempts.
Nagar, who was bandaged across the left eye, said the attack left him with painful injuries.
“What wounds me more deeply is the intent behind this assault, a clear attack on journalism and on the free press,” Nagar said.
“This was not a personal attack on me alone. This was an assault on the very principles that bind us as a free and democratic society.”
Calgary police confirmed they attended the banquet hall around 3 p.m. on Sunday after reports of an assault. When officers arrived, they found one person with injuries consistent with a physical assault. He was not transported to hospital by EMS.
“Currently, no suspects are in custody. As this is an active investigation, no further details are available at this time,” read a statement on the matter from the Calgary police.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 403-266-1234.
Nagar said he was attending a political event on Sunday and had excused himself to talk with people in the lobby. From there, he was approached by one person he knew and another unknown person. As the CCTV shows, they followed him to the parking lot where the alleged assault took place.
“These cowardly actions will not deter me or my colleagues from continuing our work, nor will they dissuade the press from reporting on matters of public interest,” Nagar said.
“They can break my eye, not the resolve.”
National attention on the issue in South Asian communities
Several national media outlets were in attendance at the press conference Tuesday, as the growing concern over the threats of violence and intimidation have popped up across Canada.
RCMP have been working with municipal police forces tracking and addressing extortion and violence in the South Asian community. Similar reported incidents have happened in the Toronto area, Surrey, BC and in Edmonton.
“We discourage anyone from complying with the demands and to contact their local police department immediately. Holding those accountable is extremely important, and we also want to see what can be done to prevent these very traumatizing situations,” read an RCMP release from February 2024.
It’s believed to be one of these situations that Nagar was reporting on last week that prompted this latest alleged assault. Nagar had reported on another incident that happened in the parking lot of Calgary’s Dashmesh Cultural Centre, one that is alleged to be another in a string of intimidation and extortion plots against local businesspeople.
The Calgary police confirmed that they responded to 135 Gurdwara Sahib Blvd NE around 8 p.m. on Sept. 24 after reports of a man with a firearm. When officers arrived, they located two people with guns who were arrested without incident.
It’s unclear if charges were laid in that incident.
Nagar said that he trusts the Calgary police will dutifully handle the investigation into these recent incidents. Meanwhile, he said that he will continue to report on the issue here in Calgary.
“The attack I endured was not simply as an act of physical violence,” Nagar said.
“It was a brazen attempt to intimidate, to silence and to prevent a free press from doing its job. I want to make one thing abundantly clear, I will not be silenced.”
Anyone with information on any of the incidents can call Calgary police at 403-266-1234.
