Suresh Chhara, a convict in the 2002 Gujarat riots case who is out on parole, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly attacking a journalist who interviewed him. The journalist, Revati Laul, is writing a book on the case, and said she had gone to interview him in Ahmedabad on Wednesday when he suddenly attacked her. She said she escaped after Chhara’s son and neighbours intervened. Laul later filed a complaint with the Vejalpur police station.

Chhara was convicted to 31 years in prison for his role in the Naroda Patiya massacre during the riots in 2002. He was released on parole last week in order to track down his missing teenage daughter. His wife recently asked for security for herself, saying that she had been threatened by her husband. She also said that he tried to rape her when he was on parole six months ago.