CNN-IBN
Mumbai, Feb 9: The Zee TV office in Mumbai was ransacked on Wednesday evening by Shiv Sainiks. They were protesting against a play that was staged at the Annual Zee Marathi awards.
A group of seventy alleged Shiv Sainiks stormed the Zee TV office in Mumbai and first attacked it's Outdoor Broadcasting van shattering the windscreen.
The mob then made its way to this security cabin and broke the glass panes of the security. But the alert security guards stopped the miscreants. They locked the gates and that is why they could not damage the interiors of the building.
The anger of the Shiv Sainiks was apparently directed at a play, Kaka Mala Vachwa,(uncle save me) which was staged at the channel's annual awards function. The Sena alleges that the play insults Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav.
Anticipating trouble Zee had asked for police protection, which was granted to them on Tuesday but was mysteriously withdrawn on Wednesday.
"We had provided them with security yesterday, but today they said we don't want security. So we withdrew it," Arup Patnaik (Joint CP), said.
The most disturbing aspect of the attach is that the N M Joshi Marg Police Station is just a stones throw away from the Zee TV office.
This footage obtained from Zee TV clearly shows a police vehicle slowing down near the protesting mob, but leaving without intervening.
"The police reached the spot only after everything was over," Patnaik said.
Police Commissioner A N Roy also visited the spot and promised a thorough inquiry and stringent action. "This is a very serious matter. We will look into it and the guilty will not be spared," he said.
Other TV channels showed up to show solidarity with Zee.