Pics: Meryick D'Silva
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MD)
Mangalore, Dec 11: People's Union for Civil Liberties(PUCL) on Tuesday December 10 condemned the recent attack on journalist V T Prasad by a group.
P B D'Sa, state president, PUCL addressing a press meet referred to the mob attack on journalist V T Prasad and said, "Prasad told our team that among his attackers were members of PFI (Popular Front of India), thieves and youth involved in sand and timber smuggling and Prasad knows all of them.
"Some of them were arrested in the past because of his exposes. Prasad had been reporting several incidents of moral policing by PFI and Hindutva organisations. Another point made by Prasad is that the sub-inspector and some constables of Vittal police station are supporting the sand and timber mafia and he had exposed their activities through his reports. As a result two of the constables had been suspended and he had also named at least five of his attackers in his complaint.
"We have recorded the voice of PFI's division secretary Farook at the incident and they are stating that they were not present when the incident took place. Very soon the recorded file will be released to the media."
He added, "Describing the events, "The woman who filed complaint against Prasad told us that Prasad had come to her house at around 9:30 am and asked for a glass of water and when she was handing it over he touched her hand and she screamed loudly and immediately the neighbours including her relatives came rushing to her rescue. To a query as to whether anybody assaulted her she said no."
He further said, "After the incident the team went to Lady Goschen hospital, where Aleema and Farah (name changed) the younger daughter was admitted; which was a maternity hospital. Upon inquiries at the reception counter it was found that admission had been done in the name of the daughter. The mother and daughter were found sitting on a bed in the general ward, chit-chatting with other women. Farah told us that she was already discharged. To our team's question as to why she was admitted in the hospital, she kept smiling. Even her mother Aleema repeated her daughter's story and said that the PFI boys asked them to get admitted to the hospital.
"The mob attack on V T Prasad is nothing but an act of lynching where a group of persons, whatever may be their grievances, instead of going through the legal route decided to take the law into their own hands," he asserted.
During the press meet Suresh Bhat and Kabir, Ullal vice-presidents, PUCL were also present.