Colombo (PTI): A Sri Lankan journalist and his friend, a British High Commission official, were severely beaten up by unidentified men here, prompting the country's media rights groups to announce a protest rally on wednesday.

Freelance journalist and defence analyst Namal Perera and Political officer in the British High Commission Mahendra Ratnaweera were seriously injured in the attack that took place on Monday evening. They were admitted to a hospital.

Perera, also the acting director of a department in the privately-run Sri Lanka Press Institute, told reporters from his hospital bed that he locked himself in the car, but the attackers smashed windows and beat them up until other motorists stopped and rushed to their help.

The attackers fled thereafter, he said.

A government committee set up for dealing with grievances of journalists should take up the matter immediately, Sunanda Deshapriya, the spokesman of Free Media Movement (FMM), the country's main media rights group, told reporters here.

"We will be closely monitoring the actions taken by the government to bring the perpetrators to justice in this latest criminal act," he said.

Charging the police with acting in an "unsympathetic" manner, Deshapriya said six police teams were sent to the hospitalon Monday, one of which sought details of the culprits in the midnight "without allowing the journalist and his friend to take rest".

Representatives of various media associations said a protest rally would be held here on wednesday.