Thugs barge into Republic Media office, manhandle journos
REPUBLICA ONLINE
KATHMANDU, Dec 20: An unruly mob of some 70 to 80 people burst into the office of Nepal Republic Media, the publisher of Republica and Nagarik dailies, and Sukrabar weekly, and manhandled and misbehaved with journalists and office staffs, on Thursday afternoon.
The hooligans, who called themselves cadres of Shiva Sena, manhandled Nagarik editor Kishor Nepal, journalists Sudarshan Sapkota, Bishwomani Pokharel and Rajendra Gyawali, among others. They shouted slogans, saying ´Long live Shiva Sena´ and threatened to burn down the entire office.
The attackers said they had objection over the content published. First, they misbehaved with the receptionist Sabina Shrestha, when she tried to stop them from storming into the newsroom. They collected several copies of the newspapers and tried to set them on fire inside the newsroom before the police intervened.
Police had to call in additional force to contain the mob. Several of the attackers have been taken under control and currently kept at the Metropolitan Police Range office, Hanumandhoka.
Police have detained Shiv Sena’s general secretary Madhab Prasad Bhandari and over a dozen cadres of the outfit including Srijana Sapkota, Kumar Ghimire, Saroj Lama, Gopal Shrestha, Ashissh Dahal, Sarita Sapkota, Ganesh Lal Shrestha, Hiramani Khanal, Bindu Oli, Lila Kumar Tamang, Raghuraj Bhandari and Gaurah Raj Shahi.
“After further investigation we will determine whether to charge the attacker with public offense or some other offense," DSP Dhiraj Pratap Singh, spokesperson of the Metropolitan Police Range, Hanumandhoka told Republica.
Meanwhile, Nepali Congress, the Republica and Karobar chapters of Federation of Nepali Journalists and Photojournalist Club (PJ), an umbrella organization of photojournalists working in various media, in separate statements, have condemned the attack and demanded stern action against those involved in it.
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Thugs Barge Into Republic Media Office, Manhandle Journos
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