The administration, however, saved the day and rescued the TV journalist within two hours. Amid uproar by the members of the fourth estate, Anant and his four associates were later arrested and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), who remanded them to 13 days of judicial custody.

Shocked over the first-of-its-kind attack on the media, the Opposition parties, including the RJD and the CPI-ML, have given a call for Bihar bandh on Friday.

The incident took place when some newsmen from electronic media had gone to take a soundbyte of Anant, whose name had figured in the rape and murder of an unemployed girl Reshma. The girl’s body was recovered on Wednesday night, but before her killing, the victim had despatched a letter to the CM, top police officials and mediamen apprehending that she might be killed by Anant and his henchmen by the time her letter reached them.

On Thursday, when some mediamen reached Anant’s residence to record his version, the MLA and his goons roughed up Prakash and his cameraman Habib Ali mercilessly. ANI cameraman Ajay was also brutally beaten up with the rifle-butt.

Widely known as Chhote Sarkar, Anant Singh, the criminal-turned-JD (U) MLA from Mokama, has a shady past and is involved in 24 cases of murder, rape and kidnapping. Even the police have so far preferred not to touch him.

But alarmed over the outcry Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the police have been given instructions to act without fear or favour in this case. “I have also recommended that the case of mysterious killing of that girl (Reshma) be handed over to the CBI to unravel the truth,” the CM added.

An undeterred Anant, while being sent to Beur Jail, is reported to have threatened Prakash: “Jail mein rah kar bhi tumko marwa denge (I will get you eliminated even if I am in jail).”

In the meantime, Bihar DGP Ashish Ranjan Sinha has ordered to replace all the bodyguards of the MLA, who were prima facie found to be hand-in-glove in the assault case.