Sidhi (MP), Apr 6 (PTI) A fire at the house of a local journalist in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district triggered allegations of intentional criminal act, with Congress on Sunday claiming law and order breakdown in the state and demanding strict action.

The incident occurred at Panwar Chouhanan Tola under the Jamodi Police Station on Friday night.

Also Read | Noida Shocker: Woman Kills 2 Children, Dies by Suicide After Quarrel With Husband Over Breakfast in Bisrakh; Probe On.

Police station in-charge Divya Prakash Tripathi said a case was registered following a complaint about the fire breakout, and further investigation is underway.

The journalist Ravi Pandey, a YouTuber who works for a Hindi news channel, and his family members claimed their kutcha house was set on fire on Friday after some persons threatened him over the phone in connection with a news item.

Also Read | Agniveer Quota in Police: Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini Says 'Agniveers' Will Be Provided 20% Reservation in State Police Recruitment.

Before the family could react, the fire engulfed the house, they told reporters.

"The incident of setting fire to the house of Sidhi journalist Ravi Kumar (Pandey) is highly condemnable. This is a brutal attack on freedom of expression and is proof of the breakdown of law and order in the state. Ravi Kumar should get immediate justice," former chief minister Kamal Nath posted on X.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)