Bangalore: 6 TV journos arrested for March 2 court mayhem

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Bangalore, March 28 2012: Ahead of a High Court hearing on the March 2 Civil Courts Complex mayhem, the City Police on Tuesday and Wednesday arrested six journalists attached to three Kannada television channels and released them on bail.

A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen is scheduled to hear the case on Thursday. The Court had asked why television channels were spared police action, for telecast of news that weren’t confirmed, but triggered violence.  

Sources said on Wednesday that the representatives of three Kannada news channels – Suvarna News 24X7, TV9 and Samaya 24X7 - were called in for questioning by the Ulsoor Gate police, arrested and released on station bail immediately.

The scribes face charges that the channels telecast news that in the mayhem involving advocates, police and media on March 2, the advocates had killed two policemen. Later, the news was found to be false. The head of one of the news channels confirmed the arrests, but refused to elaborate. Many advocates had alleged that after the news appeared on live television, the police force went berserk, involved in rioting and targeted the advocates.

On Tuesday, two journalists from TV9 and Udaya TV were arrested on charges of assault by the Vijayanagar Police and released on bail the same day. Janasri TV journalist Madhu Naik was arrested by the Ulsoor Gate Police on Tuesday afternoon. He was charged with indecent behaviour and released on bail the same evening.

In another development, related to Tuesday’s alleged attack on two police personnel by a group of lawyers, the Ulsoorgate police arrested Manjunath alias Kenchakoodlu, a lawyer, from Yelahanka late on Tuesday night. Head constable Basavaraju and woman police constable Roopa, who were assaulted by a group of advocates at the City Civil Courts Complex, had said that Manjunath was the leader of the group that assaulted them. He was also named in the FIR.

Sources in the advocate community said Manjunath’s bike was burnt in the March 2 mayhem. He was reportedly against the withdrawal of the court boycott by advocates.

The Advocates Association, Bangalore, met on Wednesday and identified six lawyers – Manjunath (already arrested), Venkatesh, Jagadish, Vishwanath, Harish and Ananth - as the ones who attacked the police officials at the court complex.

Courtesy: Deccan Herald