Mid-Day - Pics: Pradeep Dhivar

Mumbai, Feb 10: The Shiv Sena attack on the Zee News office at Lower Parel on Wednesday night could pose legal problems for the Shiv Sena, as Zee officials have named party chief Bal Thackeray in their police complaint.

Fury over satire

Over 100 Sainiks surrounded the office around 8 pm yesterday and vandalised a several company vehicles and a security cabin. They were venting their anger over a political satire on the crisis in Sena was to be telecast on Zee Marathi on Saturday.

‘I told police’

Zee News bureau chief Seema Gupta told Mid Day that she had named Thackeray in her statement to the police.

“The mob repeatedly yelled that Bal Thackeray was very angry with channel, and that this was their way of protesting. I simply told the cops what the mob told us,” said Gupta.

A policeman inspects a Zee News vehicle vandalized by Shiv Sainiks at the Zee News office at Lower Parel last night

The mob repeatedly yelled that Bal Thackeray was very angry with channel, and that this was their way of protesting. I simply told the cops what the mob told us. - Seema Gupta, Zee News bureau chief  
 

The security office too was attacked by the vandals

Will police act?

However, it remains to be seen if the cops actually register a case against the Sena chief. Joint Commissioner of Police Arup Patnaik was non-committal.

“We have to first see whether anyone has given such a statement. Then we will look into it,” he said. As for the rioting mob, he said, “We are going to book them for unlawful assembly and rioting. We have already formed special teams to catch the culprits.”

Sources told Mid Day that the attack was planned by a local Sena legislator.

Security withdrawn

The police had provided security to Zee News till Tuesday night, after the Zee’s Worli office got information about an imminent attack.

Patnaik said the security had been withdrawn after Zee told them the threat had passed.

Meanwhile, Zee officials have said that they won’t be deterred by the attacks and that the satire will be telecast as planned.

Zee’s Sena satire

The satire is based on an incident in Maratha history when Narayan Rao, the teenage nephew of Raghoba dada and the future peshwa, was attacked by his own bodyguards. He ran to Raghoba dada, shouting, “Kaka mala wachava, kaka mala wachwa! ("Uncle, save me!” ). The satire connects this to the current Sena crisis, which was sparked off by the departure of Raj, Bal Thackeray’s nephew.