Tamil Malar political reporter K Muthukrishnan told FMT he was threatened by the assailants to stop working as a journalist.

He said he was beaten up by three Indian men both times. During the second attack they broke his tooth. He said he did not recognise the men. He did not say if the same men were involved in both attacks.

The first assault took place about 8pm on Aug 20 while he was on his way back from a sundry shop. Three men stopped him and after confirming his name, beat him until he fell.

At 4.30pm the following day, he was ambushed by three men near an abandoned house. They beat him with a stick and told him to quit journalism.

Meanwhile, Ipoh Barat MP Kula Segaran told FMT that Muthukrishnan was terrified about lodging a police report as he feared repercussions.

Kula, who was present when Muthukrishnan lodged the report at the Kampung Bharu police station today, said: “Muthu is so frightened to even come and lodge a police report. It is either lack of confidence in the system or he is worried that his security may be further compromised.”

He added that police must immediately intervene, as it was a very clear threat towards journalists in this country. Any delay in catching the culprits would, he said, further erode the confidence of the public in the police.

Kula said he was worried that with the 14th General Election (GE14) nearing, things like this might occur more frequently.