Guilty plea entered in violent attack on popular Calgary radio host

Rishi Nagar pictured wearing an eye-patch after the violent October 2024 attack.

A popular Calgary radio host says he’s relieved that a man has pleaded guilty in a violent attack against him.

Rishi Nagar is the news director and a host on RED FM, the multicultural broadcaster located in northeast Calgary.

In October 2024, Nagar was at an event at the Rio Banquet Hall when on his way to his car, he was met by two men who voiced their displeasure of his recent reporting on a couple of weapons-rated arrests in the northeast.

Nagar was then punched in the head several times in an attack that was caught on security cameras.

The attack caused Nagar to wear an eye-patch. He says his vision is still 85 percent gone in one eye and doctors are worried about retinal detachment in the future.

On Tuesday, 29-year-old Dilpreet Singh pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.

Nagar views the attack as a blow to the freedom of speech and the press.

“The gentleman who attacked me did not like my words, my reporting prior to this attack,” Nagar told CTV News in an interview. “He wants his voice to be heard. But he was not ready to listen to what I say. So where is my freedom of speech?” he said.

“I represent very small ethnic media, and he has tried to silence the voice of this very small media (outlet),” he said.

“If this type of thing goes on, how can we report properly?”

The Crown prosecutor’s office confirms to CTV News that sentencing will be held at a later date, following a pre-sentence report.

Nagar says he trusts the justice system to impose a penalty that reflects the severity of the crime.

He also says he appreciates the support he has received from RED FM management and the community since the attack.