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The owner of the private company “Puls inžinjering”, Nenad Milenkovic claims he was attacked by four masked assailants today in front of the Serbia-sponsored North Mitrovica municipal building. Milenkovic was heading to apply for a public tender for the construction of residential buildings in North Mitrovica. Milenkovic suffered blows to the head and other parts of his body and has a medical report which can confirm that he received medical assistance, including stitches. Milenkovic announced that he would be filing criminal charges and sending a complaint to the Public Procurement Commission on the suspicion that the municipality of Kosovska Mitrovica committed malfeasance.
After receiving medical assistance and giving a statement at the police station, Milenkovic, who is also the owner of RTV Puls, said in an interview with KoSSev that he was not on media duty but that he intended to apply for a public tender for the construction of residential buildings in North Mitrovica.
“Around 09:30 today, I went to the municipality of Kosovska Mitrovica building for business reasons. I tried to go to the records office to deliver the documents. However, as soon as I stepped out of the car, they were waiting for me, that is, I saw from the car that some people were waiting for me. Four masked assailants were waiting for me. They confiscated those documents. They started beating and kicking me in the head. While they were beating me, they asked me several times – who sent you and why did you come,” he said.
Milenkovic added that although the entire attack took place in front of the municipal building – no one reacted.
He was unable to identify the attackers because they were wearing masks. The RTV Puls owner, however, claimed they „must have been sent by someone from the municipality“.
Milenkovic presented even more serious allegations about the municipality:
„The municipality of Kosovska Mitrovica itself has been criminalized and this proves that. All tenders and public procurement are given to ‘close’ firms and they do not allow anyone but them to work. With this, they have made it known to all of us that while they are here, no one but them and their companies can work.“
Milenkovic notified the police which arrived shortly afterward and took him to the hospital.
Kosovo police also confirmed for KoSSev that Milenkovic was attacked.
On the other hand, they say that according to preliminary data, the RTV ‘Puls’ media crew from Silovo was attacked.
„This morning around 09:37, the North police station was notified that a television crew had been attacked near the Kosovska Mitrovica Provisional Authority building, behind the bus station. About ten minutes later, police patrols arrived and contacted the news crew. An investigating police officer and forensics team examined the scene. One person complained of injuries so we transferred him to the health center for diagnostics. This is only primary information, but an investigation is ongoing and will reveal what really happened, motives and other things, possibly the perpetrators, as they remain unknown so far,“ Kosovo Police spokesman for the region north, Branislav Radovic told KoSSev.
When asked to comment on Milenkovic’s earlier statement that he was not on a duty, but that he wanted to submit project documentation for the municipal tender as an owner of a private business company, Radovic stated:
„There are some indications, I cannot say until I receive an official report. They are journalists, but the reason they visited the town is completely different. However, I will announce it only after the investigation is completed, because at the moment we are talking, other persons are giving their statements as several persons were present, so the exact circumstances will be determined and then I will reveal them.“
Radovic was unable to confirm whether the attackers were wearing masks.
Although the event happened in the morning, KoSSev was unable to get in touch with the head of the Kosovska Mitrovica Provisional Authority, Aleksandar Spiric, despite several written inquiries and calls. The Kosovska Mitrovica Provisional Authority has yet to react.
Similar situation regarding the submission of tender documentation and assaults occurred five years ago, when the owner of the construction company „Gradjevinar Zupce“, Vladimir Veselinovic was attacked in front of the municipality building in Zubin Potok while trying to submit tender documents.
Veselinovic’s tender documents were also taken. At the time, he accused the then-mayor Stevan Vulovic of organizing the attack. Vulovic, however, denied these allegations.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
