Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad   

Dharwad TV reporter injured in attack

Staff Correspondent

HUBLI: A reporter of a private Kannada news channel, who was covering a meeting to discuss the next course of action on the damage to a minaret at Bada village of Dharwad taluk, was on Monday beaten up by a few miscreants in Dharwad.

Nagaraj Kiranagi, who sustained a gash on his forehead, has been admitted to the Dharwad Civil Hospital. The miscreants also smashed a still camera belonging to a press photographer.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at the meeting convened by Muslim leaders in the Anjuman-e-Islam Complex in Dharwad, in the wake of reported damage to a minaret at Bada village of Dharwad taluk.

The police, who intervened in the matter of damage to the minaret, had pacified the Muslims and assured them of appropriate action against the culprits, following which the community members had gone ahead with the Bakrid celebrations.

But the community leaders in Dharwad convened a meeting to discuss the issue. The reporter and two press photographers had gone to cover the meeting.

According to eyewitnesses, some of the local leaders told the reporter and photographers to leave because it was not open to the press. Although the journalists were leaving the venue, a few miscreants attacked them. They snatched away the still camera from the photographer and smashed it. They tried to snatch the video camera, which the reporter had already put in the bag. They pushed him to the ground and kicked him, the eyewitnesses.

A police constable, who was nearby, rushed to the rescue of the reporter and soon other police personnel rushed to the spot followed by media persons.

Members of Dharwad Media Club staged a protest in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner. Deputy Commissioner M.S. Srikar, accompanied by Police Commissioner Narayan Nadamani, visited the hospital and assured the media persons that they would take action against the miscreants and requested them to withdraw their protest. The former Minister, S.R. Morey, visited the hospital.

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