Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: Shiv Sainiks on Friday attacked and vandalised the office of a Hindi and Marathi TV channel of Network 18 group at Vikhroli in Northeast Mumbai on the pretext of the channels reportage against Bal Thackeray.
Shiv Sena MP and the editor of its mouthpiece Samna, Sanjay Raut, said the Sainiks had attacked the media offices as it was misquoting Bal Thackeray's article on Sachin Tenduljar. Thackeray had criticised Sachin for saying Mumbai is for everybody.
Seven people have been arrested in this regard.
Journalists, who were present there, bore the brunt of the rampaging mob of around twenty five people. Some of the staffers were grievously injured in the incident.
The attackers warned the journalists to not to report anything against the party in the future.
“If you say anything against Shiv Sena or Bal Thackeray, we will not tolerate it,” the attackers reportedly said.
The attackers were looking for the editor-in-chief of the channel and said ‘we will teach him a lesson’.
Reacting to the horrific incident Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said, “The culprits will definitely be booked under the law.”
“I don’t believe in such system which resorts to violence,” he added.He said seven people have been arrested in this regard. "Let me assure the media and the people of Maharashtra that the government will not be a mute spectator for this. We will go after those who inspred these hooligans," he added.
He expressed shock at Sanjay Raut taking responsibility for the attack.
Commenting on the incident Congress MP from Mumbai Priya Dutt said “Our party condemns such incidents and will ask the government to take action against the culprits.”
Meanwhile, describing the attack on the offices
of a prominent Marathi news channel as a "cowardly act",
Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil today said the culprits
would be traced and booked without delay.
"This attack is an act of cowardice," Patil told
reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
Assuring adequate protection to all media establishments,
he said the government would make the organisation responsible
for the act pay the compensation for the damages if its
involvement is proved in the investigations.
Asked if the government would act against the suspected
Shiv Sena leaders involved in the act, the minister said, "we
shall act against those found guilty after completing the
investigations."
First Published: Saturday, November 21, 2009, 09:20