Suspected Shiv Sena activists vandalised the offices of a Marathi news channel in Mumbai and Pune and assaulted staff members including journalists for carrying reports that allegedly showed Bal Thackeray in bad light. Dozens of men armed with iron rods and clubs descended on the office of IBN-Lokmat in suburban Mumbai shouting slogans against the channel for allegedly carrying reports against their leader Bal Thackeray and warned of serious consequences if they persisted with it. TV channels showed the vandals beating up the staff,overturning furniture and smashing glass panels with flowerpots and sticks. According to Mumbai Police Commissioner D Sivanandan,seven persons have been arrested and efforts were on to bring to book others responsible for the incident. A Pune report said some suspected Sena workers pelted the office of IBN-Lokmat on Singhdad road with stones and also damaged an outdoor broadcast van. The police posted at the office after news broke about the attack on the channel's Mumbai office,have detained eight persons. Meanwhile,Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has condemned the attack and promised swift and appropriate action against the perpetrators,saying there was no place for violence in a democracy. "In democracy,everybody has the right to put across one's views,but there is no place for violence. But then you cannot expect organisations like Shiv Sena and MNS,which use regional and linguistic issues for publicity,to act differently," Chavan said. Asked if the government would ensure the arrest of the ring leaders behind the incident,Chavan said,"nobody will be spared if found responsible for orchestrating it." Sanjay Nirupam,a former Shiv Sena MP and now Congress Lok Sabha member,denounced the attack,terming it as an assault on the freedom of the media. Abu Asim Azmi,Samajwadi Party MLA,who was assaulted by MNS legislators inside the House for not taking oath in Marathi,slammed the incident,and said "things have taken such an ugly turn because the government did not take any action against the perpetrators of happenings like these in the past."
