In broad daylight in Bangsar, three men confronted veteran journalist Haresh Deol — two assaulted him while a third calmly recorded the entire attack on a mobile phone. The brazen nature of the assault, carried out at 3.30pm in a busy commercial area, has shaken Malaysia’s media community and intensified scrutiny over the safety of journalists in the country.
It compelled fellow journalist Frankie D'Cruz to come out with an article “A blow against one journalist is a blow against all,” just a few days after.
According to Twentytwo13 co-founder Pearl Lee, Haresh had just exited a meeting in Bangsar Baru when he noticed two men behaving suspiciously near his vehicle. Moments later, they rushed at him — one wearing a helmet, the other bare-headed — while a third appeared seemingly out of nowhere to intercept him as he attempted to flee. That third man used his phone to film the entire attack.
The unusual choreography of the assault — two attackers, one cameraman, carried out in broad daylight in a crowded neighbourhood — has raised disturbing questions about planning, motive, and message.
A detailed account of the incident published by Free Malaysia Today described the episode as unprovoked and calculated the assault appeared. It noted that Haresh was punched, kicked, and knocked to the ground. Despite the violence, nothing was stolen — adding to suspicions that intimidation, not robbery, was the intent.
Haresh suffered injuries to his face, hands, nose, and elbow. After the attack, he lodged a police report at the Brickfields district station. Police later confirmed they were investigating the case under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt, with efforts underway to identify the suspects. The attackers’ faces — at least two of them unmasked — were clearly visible in the recording made during the assault.
The communications minister weighed in swiftly. In a statement, Fahmi Fadzil stressed that “the safety of media practitioners cannot be compromised.” He said he learned about the attack while attending a programme in Kota Kinabalu and had spoken with Haresh shortly after the journalist lodged his report and sought medical attention. Fahmi urged authorities to expedite investigations.
Media organisations, journalists’ unions, and press freedom advocates echoed this call, describing the assault as a deeply troubling sign of the risks faced by those reporting on sensitive issues. While police have not linked the incident to Haresh’s work, the timing and circumstances have unsettled the community.
Haresh Deol has 25 years of experience covering governance, accountability, law enforcement, and Malaysian sports, He co-founded Twentytwo13 with Pearl Lee after leaving mainstream journalism, building the platform into a hub for policy, integrity, and public-interest storytelling. Most recently, he has made signficant investigative work on sports governance — especially the national football team’s naturalisation scandal .
This context has intensified concern. Though no motive has been established, many in the industry are asking uncomfortable but unavoidable questions. How did the assailants know where he would be at that exact moment? Were they trailing him from his office in Ampang? Why was one attacker wearing a helmet while the others appeared openly, as if unafraid of identification? Why was the attack recorded — and for whose benefit?
Pearl Lee noted that the logistics alone — the timing, the location, the presence of a dedicated cameraman — make this a deeply unsettling incident. “It sends a chilling signal to journalists everywhere,” she said. In her view, even without knowing the intent, the message is undeniable: intimidation can happen at any place, at any time, even under the glare of public daylight.
Media groups warn that attacks on journalists threaten more than the safety of individuals — they undermine the public’s right to information free from coercion, fear, or political pressure. When violence intersects with the act of recording the violence, the psychological impact multiplies.
For now, the motive remains unclear. But the fear, and its implications, are unmistakable.
Today it was Haresh, Pearl said. Tomorrow, it could be any journalist who dares to report the truth.
The incident stands as a stark reminder: doing journalism in Malaysia, even the kind focused on public accountability and sports governance, can carry very real-world risks — and the shadows around those risks may be growing.
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