Tags:
Journalism of Courage
AMRAVATI, July 2: The Mayor of Amravati, Pravin Kashikar, and 14 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporators, who were arrested yesterday, were today released on a personal bond of Rs 2000 each by Justice M A Pote. The police had demanded 15 days’ magisterial custody for them which was rejected by Pote.
The Mayor and about 25 BJP corporators are alleged to have gone on a rampage in the office of the Hindi daily Pratidin on Monday. They have been charged with beating up the manager and the photographer of the daily to protest against a news item in the paper criticising District Guardian Minister Jagdish Gupta. The mob also broke the furniture in the office.
The controversial news item had suggested that 16 BJP corporators were unhappy with Gupta’s interference in the Amaravati Municipal Corporation (AMC) matters. BJP corporators were also enraged over the decision of local journalists to boycott the functions attended by Gupta.
It may be recalled that the scribes were angry over Gupta’s statement in a local daily Janmadhyam that some local newsmen “wrote out of malice or for financial reasons”.
Local journalists on Monday, protested by staging a dharna for about an hour at the police station.
