Hindu outfit attacks Tamil channel’s office

Members of little known saffron outfit Hindu Illaignar Sena early on Thursday hurled petrol bombs at the office of a popular Tamil news channel here, police said. No one was injured in the attack.

CCTV footages from the office of the channel, Puthiya Thalaimurai, showed four men arrived on motorcycles and hurled two crude bombs packed in tiffin boxes before they fled the scene. Four persons have been arrested so far after the outfit claimed responsibility for the incident.

The incident came close on the heels of the channel dropping a controversial debate show about “Thaali” (mangalsutra) after fringe outfit Hindu Munnani staged a protest against the programme on Sunday. A channel cameraman was also attacked. One of the journalists working with Puthiya Thalaimurail said the channel’s office had received over 3,000 threat calls.

Meanwhile, Rama Gopalan, organiser of Hindu Munnani’s Tamil Nadu unit, blamed the channel and the police for the incident. “If one wants to hurl a bomb and attack the office, why petrol bomb? We believe that the channel is also trying to get publicity while a nexus between the police and the channel management organised this attack,” he said.

However, Shyam Kumar, CEO of Puthiya Thalamurai channel, said the attack was part of a “larger agenda” of anti-social elements and fundamental groups.

Source:: Indian Express