DAVANGERE: Karnataka Hitharakshana Vedike took out a procession here on Thursday protesting against the attack on the office of a private TV news channel on Wednesday in Bangalore. The office was attacked by supporters of Chamapakadhama Swamy, an employee of Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd., to stop the telecast of the story accusing him of corruption.

The vedike said it was an infringement on freedom of the press and demanded that the Government provide protection to newspaper offices and offices of TV channels. It also urged the Government to arrest all those involved in the incident. It said the press and TV channels had an unquestionable right to publish or telecast acts of corruption, crime and incidents of swindling public money, with sufficient evidence.

Similarly, the Davangere Zilla Patrakartara Sangha took out a procession against the attack on the private TV news channel. It said that incidents of attacks on the press and on journalists were on the rise in Karnataka. The sangha urged the Government to take steps to ensure that such incidents did not recur and it demanded the arrest of those involved in Wednesday's incident. It also condemned the arrest of the editor of a Kannada daily in Mangalore, B.V. Seetharam, and his wife. It urged the Government to intervene in the matter and ensure that the police officers concerned apologise to the editor and release him immediately.

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