Clashes: Media meets electoral officer over attack on cameraman

MUMBAI: A day after the MNS-Shiv Sena activists came to blows injuring a TV journalist here yesterday, mediapersons met electoral officer Nitin Gadre here to protest the attack on the cameraman.

President of TV Journalists Association (TVJA) Vilas Athavale said cameraman Dilip Rai who works with a Marathi news channel was hit on the head by MNS workers with a broken bottle, and had to be hospitalised.

"We have demanded that electronic media be given police protection during election coverage besides a probe into yesterday's incident," Athavale said.

According to him, Gadre assured that yesterday's violence would be probed and he would ask district collectors and returning officers to provide neccessary protection to electronic media persons.

Officebearers of Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh were also present in the delegation.

Yesterday, large number of Shiv Sena and MNS workers clashed outside the Old Custom House in South Mumbai when respective party candidates Arvind Sawant and Aditya Shirodkar reached there to file their nominations.

Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena filed his papers from Mumbai South and Shirodkar contesting on MNS ticket filed his nomination from Mumbai South Central.

According to police, scores of workers from both the parties came to blows, hit each other with flag sticks, shouted slogans and pelted stones and empty bottles even as several people were injured and two policemen as well as the cameraman sustained serious injuries and had to be hospitalised.

Following the incident, 20 activists from both the parties were arrested on charges of rioting and unlawful Assembly.

Soon after the clash, the two political rivals blamed each other, claiming it was "premeditated" by their opponents, with the Shiv Sena even seeking de-recognition of the MNS.