Suvarna News, a Kannada news channel operated by Asianet News Network, issued a press note on August 14, refuting a statement of Editors Guild of India which had claimed that Suvarna News journalists were attacked by the Bangalore City Police while they were covering the mob violence in Bengaluru.
In its statement, Suvarna News’ Editor-in-Chief Ravi Hegde said that the channel’s journalists were actually attacked by the mob which had perpetrated the violence on the night of August 11.
The statement also added that three Suvarna News reporters were assaulted by the mob, which also damaged two news vehicles and a camera. An FIR has been filed against them with the Bangalore City Police.
The Editors Guild had early claimed in its 13 August statement that, “…In Bengaluru, as many as four journalists belonging to India Today, The News Minute and Suvarna News 24×7 were reportedly attacked by the city police”. The Editors Guild had alleged that incident was a “failure of law enforcement agencies” and demanded that action be taken against the guilty.
A large mob of Muslims have torched and destroyed the house of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy in North Bengaluru over a Facebook post which they deemed derogatory to Mohammed whom they revere as their Prophet. According to reports, radical Islamist organisation PFI’s political arm SDPI is suspected in the violence. The mob has also attacked the KG Halli Police station shouting slogans of ‘Allah O Akbar’.
