Mumbai/Thane : The Mumbai Press Club has expressed “deep shock” over the killing of Thane-based journalist Raghavendra Dube and brutal attack on at least two other journalists when they went to cover a raid on a bar on Friday.
In a statement, the Mumbai Press Club (MPC) said two media persons – Santosh Mishra and Shashi Sharm – had gone to cover a police raid on the White House Bar in Mira Road town of Thane district.
While they were busy clicking pictures of the raids, they were assaulted by the bar staffers.
Sharma, who sustained serious injuries, is being treated at the Indira Gandhi Civic Hospital while Mishra was admitted to Bhakti Vedanta Hospital.
Later, on hearing of the attacks on his colleagues, Dube reached the spot and later went to the Mira Road police station where a large number of bar owners and their staffers were present.
“This is shocking. This incident comes a day after journalists were abused and manhandled when they were covering a cylinder blast,” the MPC said.
Appreciating Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ patient hearing to a media delegation, the MPC urged him to look into the frequent attacks on journalists and make it a cognizable, non-bailable offence.
A delegation comprising representatives of the Mumbai Press Club, Maharashtra Patrakar Parishad, TV Journalists Association, Bombay News Photographers Association and other media organisations met Fadnavis and conveyed their concerns on Friday.