Shiv Sainiks attack TV channel office in Mumbai

A mob of Shiv Sena workers attacked the Mumbai and Pune offices of Marathi television news channel IBN Lokmat on Friday evening.

A mob of about 25 Sena activists barged into both the offices and destroyed furniture and attacked many of the journalists.

The protestors said they were objecting to the channel's coverage on Sena chief Bal Thackeray's recent article on cricketer Sachin Tedulkar in the party's mouthpiece Saamna.

Sanjay Raut, executive editor of the Sena mouthpiece Saamna, justified the attacks.

At the Mumbai office of the channel in Vikhroli, a central Mumbai suburb, employees caught seven of the protestors and thrashed them up before handing them over to the police.

Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil have assured action against the attackers.