By IANS,
New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India Friday “strongly condemned” the attack by a mob on the TV Today network office in Delhi, following a sting operation by the channel on a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader.
“Some members of the crowd forcibly entered the building and even vandalised the Headlines Today office. Such fascist methods to try and silence the media will only backfire,” a statement by the guild’s president Rajdeep Sardesai and secretary general Coomi Kapoor said.
“All organisations who believe in freedom of the media must protest against such intimidatory and uncivilised behaviour. It is particularly deplorable that there has been an attempt in some quarters to condone such hooliganism,” it added.
A mob of more than 100 people barged into the office of TV Today Network at the Videocon Towers at Jhandewalan Extension around 6 p.m. and attacked its employees, police said.
According to police, the mob gathered near the Videocon Towers at 5 p.m. and started raising slogans against the channel. Suddenly, more people joined it. They then barged through the main entrance of the tower breaking down the doors, throwing pots and damaging a coffee shop on the ground floor of the office.
“They were moving towards the lift to reach the fourth floor (where the office of the Headlines Today is situated), but it was sealed. They broke several cameras and vehicles of the group,” said an employee.
Police managed to stop the mob from entering the fourth floor. As many as 30 people, believed to be members of the RSS, have been detained.