Press Club asks Tatas to terminate services of security agency

MUMBAI: The Mumbai Press Club has asked the Tata Group to dispense with services of the security agency which supplies guards to the company in the backdrop of the alleged roughing up of newspersons at the group's headquarters Bombay House here.

Three photojournalists from the Times of India, Mid-Day and the Hindustan Times were allegedly beaten by the guards on Friday last following a scuffle when ousted Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry had arrived to chair the board meeting of Indian Hotels, that runs the group's Taj brand of hotels, to approve the second quarter earnings.

The Mumbai Press Club, along with some other organisations, has decided to lead a protest march on Tuesday from the Mumbai Press Club to Bombay House if the Tata Group fails to remove the guards by tomorrow noon, a release here said.

Two persons were earlier arrested in connection with the alleged attack on photojournalists and sent to judicial custody till November 11, Mumbai Police spokesperson Ashok Dudhe had yesterday said.

The scuffle had started as soon as Mistry, who is the chairman of IHCL, arrived at the Tata Group headquarters to chair the board meeting, and standing photographers went beyond the cordoned off area to click his pictures.

The Mumbai Press Club had earlier condemned the attack and demanded arrest of the guards involved in the scuffle.

A Tata Group spokesperson had apologised for the incident saying, "Whatever happened, should not have happened."