New Delhi, Dec 23: Zee TV, whose Mumbai office was today vandalised by a mob, alleged that people "claiming to be close to" Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal had been threatening it and its sister channel Alpha Marathi ever since they "unearthed" huge amount of "fake" currencies and stamps in Nasik. "All this started from the day Zee News crime reporter entered a den of Telgi in Nasik and unearthed huge amount of fake currencies and stamp papers. The reporter also reported that said house is next door to Bhujbal...Since then people claiming to be close to Bhujbal have been threatening Zee News and Alpha Marathi news team," the channel said.
"Since the courageous reporters did not succumb to their threats and continued reporting the facts, finally, they have resorted to violent and undemocratic means," it said.
The channel claimed that ten people of Zee Network were injured and "great damage" was caused to its property when the "mob of 50 people claming allegiance to Bhujbal forcibly entered the Zee Network offices this afternoon and smashed the whole office."
"They (mob) did not give any reason what they wanted and expected from Zee Network, but started breaking the windows, glasses, beating up security offices and smashed the office completely, with hockey sticks and iron bars, which they carried with them," it alleged.
The channel alleged that the mob's agenda was to "damage property, hurt people, demoralise the media and muzzle one of the most proactive channels in the country as far as the Telgi scam is concerned." Bureau Report