The bureau office of aMalayalam television news channel, Asianet, was attacked today in Alappuzha allegedly for its coverage of a state minister’s alleged illegal land encroachment.
According to a report by The Times of India, the attack on Asianet, owned by BJP MP and businessman Rajeev Chandrasekhar, took place at 2am yesterday and the glasses of a car used by the channel were damaged. Asianet News senior sub editor TV Prasad was sleeping inside the office, but he did not suffer any injury, the report adds.
Incidentally, Prasad had been doing a series of stories on state transport minister Thomas Chandy’s alleged illegal land encroachment in the district. Chandy, an NCP MLA and a prominent businessman based in Kuwait, was inducted to the state cabinet by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after AK Saseendran was forced to resign following a honey trap on him by another Malayalam channel.
The incident has created wide-spread anger among the journalist fraternity. It has also invited much criticism against the LDF government in the state for its alleged protective stand on illegal land encroachers. The government was earlier accused of booting out a young IAS officer, Sriram Venkataraman, who was on an eviction drive in Munnar.
Opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala has called it an “attack on the media freedom” and demanded a high level probe. “The attack against Asianet has happened at a time the channel has aired serious allegations against a state minister,” he said.
