A JOURNALIST has been slammed after he reported from a disaster zone � while sitting on the shoulders of a flood victim.
Speaking from a ravaged shanty town, Narayan Pargaien did his bizarre broadcast in Uttarakhand state where deadly floods have devastated the region, killing at least 1,000 people.
Many Indian commentators criticised him for apparently using the disaster survivor to keep his feet dry.
One branded Pargaien �a disgrace to journalism� while another said he was �a ridiculous reporter�. But he has denied accusations that he was exploiting the man, insisting the flood victim �wanted to show respect� � because he had never met anyone as important as the journalist before.
The News Express reporter also said he had paid the man 50 rupees (55p) for his troubles.
Pargaien, who has nearly two decades of reporting experience, said: �It wasn't my idea to begin with but there was this man who took me to his home and asked me to report the damage he had suffered. �His house was in a miserable condition and he had lost a lot in the flood and was left with very little food and water.
�We helped him with some food and some money and he was grateful to us and wanted to show me some respect, as it was the first time someone of my level had visited his house.�
He added: �This was entirely the cameraman�s fault, who, it seems, almost tried to sabotage my career by shooting from that distance and angle and releasing the video mocking this whole incident, and making me the villain.�
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