Shiv Sena Activists attack on IBN Lokmat channel's Office: Video

India is facing more problems in regionalism and national integrity these days especially after recent attacks on North Indians by MNS in Maharashtra. If this goes on like this, the day is not too far that India itself will be splitted into different parts based on this meaningless regionalism. Indians should first stop this and stop fighting against each other.

Few days back Sachin Tendulkar said "Mumbai belongs to all Indians. I am a Maharashtrian and am extremely proud of that. But I am an Indian first" . What was wrong in that statement. Shiv Sena started attacking sachin through media saying that what he said was against maharashtrians and marathi manoos. This was not enough to them, they later attacked the IBN news channel in mumbai.

CCTV captures the moment right wing Shiv Sena activists launch an attack on the offices of television channel IBN Lokmat in India's western Mumbai.

At least 25 people were hurt when an angry mob of 20-25 activists barged into the office of the channel at around 1600 (1130GMT).

Armed with rods and cricket bats, the mob damaged computers, furniture, glass partitions and other electronic equipment. The attack on the IBN offices was allegedly sparked by negative reports about the Shiv Sena and its chief Balasaheb Thackeray.
Media networks across the country have condemned the incident, saying it amounts to a clear attack on press freedom. Police have arrested seven people in connection with the incident.

Look at the way the activists are attacking the journalists inside their office. Disgusting.

Here is the Video:



According to a channel staffer, the Sena activists barged into the channel office around 4 p.m., shouting slogans in favour of the Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray.

Besides editor Nikhil Wagle, who was slapped, pushed around and had a chair flung at him, three other staffers sustained injuries in the Shiv Sena activists' attack.

A shaken Wagle said that some of the activists launched a brutal attack on the journalists and other staffers in the office, they caused extensive damage to the office, furniture and fittings there.

"The attack was preplanned, they had come armed with sticks and iron rods for creating the mayhem in our offices. They hurled a chair at me," Wagle told media persons.

The Shiv Sena owned up responsibility for the attack later Friday evening, while the vandalism drew condemnation from other political parties.

"The government shall not go soft on the Shiv Sena and the media should boycott the Shiv Sena," a grim Ashok Chavan told media persons Friday evening. The city police nabbed seven and Pune police arrested eight Shiv Sainiks for the attacks.

Home Minister R.R. Patil also condemned the attacks and assured newsmen that stern action would be taken against those involved.

Shiv Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut accused the channel of misquoting Thackeray's observations on cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar in a signed article in the Sena mouthpiece "Saamana" last week.

"This is not an attack on the entire media. The (IBN-Lokmat) channel has been constantly misreporting about Bal Thackeray and targeting the Shiv Sena. We shall not tolerate any criticism of our party chief," Raut, a Sena Rajya Sabha MP, said.

"They also manhandled a few staffers, including women, and editor Nikhil Wagle and others," said Vijay Darda, chairman of the Lokmat group of newspapers that part-owns the channel.

Terming it as "an attack on the freedom of speech and media", Darda said he did not expect this from Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray.

"I have always considered him as a refined, cultured and family person and what has happened has pained us," Darda told IANS.

He said the channel had been running several reports on the debacle of the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance in last month's elections to the Mahastrata state assembly.

"They have vented their frustration at the defeat on the journalists and the TV channel, which is highly condemnable," said Darda, a Congress member in the Rajya Sabha.

Darda, whose younger brother Rajendra is a Congress cabinet minister in Maharasthra, said it is "disturbing that the Sainiks have become so bold as to launch attacks on the media without any fear".

CNN-IBN chief Rajdeep Sardesai termed the attacks as "a shame" and condemned the Sena for the attaks.

"Be it the Shiv Sena or the Maharashtra Navnirmaan Sena (MNS), all are anti-social elements. They are spreading a feeling of regional difference amongst the states of the country. We appeal to the Election Commission to cancel the registration of such parties which do not follow the Indian constitution," Rajendra Chaudhary, spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, told IANS.

Source: in.reuters.com,www.tvnext.in, 20 Nov 2009