N Ram to ask Advani for central forces

N Ram, the Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu today demanded the deployment of central forces in front of his office and at the residence of five staffers against whom arrest warrants have been issued for the alleged breach of privilege and contempt of the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

The editor said he would soon write to Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani in this regard.

A day after the Supreme Court stayed the arrests, he told reporters that by posting plainclothesmen in front of the newpaper's office, the Tamil Nadu police was adopting intimidatory tactics.

He said he would soon send a 'factual report' of what happened at The Hindu Office on November 7 and on the happenings in Bangalore the following day.

On November 7, police entered the newspaper office with warrants issued by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker K Kalimuthu to arrest five senior journalists of the paper and on the next day, the car in which Ram and his brother N Murali were travelling in Bangalore was intercepted allegedly by Tamil Nadu Police personnel.

Ram said Murali, the joint managing director of the paper today telephonically complained to the Tamil Nadu Governor about the deployment of state police in front of the office and residence of the five staffers.

"I hope the response to the complaint will be positive and immediate," Ram said.