People's Democracy

KOZHIKODE, May 2. Congressmen assaulted the journalists who came to Payyoli to cover the programme of Mrs Sonia Gandhi. By 7.30 p m it was notified that Mrs Gandhi would not land in Payyoli to address the UDF gathering there. Hearing this, the Congress candidate P Sankaran started crying and weeping. The journalists tried to photograph Mr Sankaran in this pose. It was then that these photographers, and the reporters who tried to protect their photographers, were subjected to physical assaults by Congressmen. Many photographers’ cameras were irreparably damaged.

Mr V Sinoj of Mathrubhumi, Mr T Prasanth and Mr P N Sreevalasan of Malayala Manorama and special correspondent Mr P Damodaran were among those seriously assaulted. Mr Rajeev Menon was also assaulted.

The Congressmen took to violence near the dais which was constructed for Mrs Sonia’s address. First they tried to capture Mathrubhumi photographer Mr Sinoj’s camera. The camera’s flash and lens were dismantled from the apparatus. Some Congressmen hit Mr Sinoj in abdomen and on shoulders. Police officers Mr Subhash Babu and Mr T Chandran saved Mr Sinoj from the assailants. But later, when the policemen took Mr Sinoj aside, these assailants again came down upon him. He was knocked down to the ground before the policemen could take him away.

It was at this time that the Malayala Manorama photographers came to the dais and began to take shots of the incidents. The assailants immediately turned against them. Some reporters ran to render protection to the photographers. But they too were brutally assaulted and beaten by these Congressmen. The assailants also attempted to snatch their gold chains and take purses out of their pockets.

A meeting held at Calicut Press Club strongly protested these attacks on journalists and photographers. The meeting pointed out that the assaults were preplanned. It demanded of the north zone Director General of Police to organise a special probe into the assault and take stringent measures against the culprits. Mr Nawas Poonoor, president of the Press Club, presided over the meeting.

The Mathrubhumi Journalist Union and Kerala Newspaper Employees Federation have expressed strong protested against and voiced concern over the assault on the pressmen.