At least four journalists were assaulted on May 18, 2014, outside the house of a high-ranking party leader in Tamil Nadu.
Journalists gathered outside the home of MK Stalin, a leader in the regional Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party, who had offered to resign from his position following his party’s loss in the country’s Lok Sabha elections, reports said. Hours later, Stalin withdrew his offer to resign, a move that his political opponents called political “drama,” the reports said.
The Hindustan Times reported that the attack first started when a journalist cited one of Stalin’s opponents calling the leader’s resignation a “drama.” News reports described the assailants as DMK members and supporters and said at least four journalists were beaten and their equipment damaged.
The injured journalists included Shabbir Ahmed, reporter for the TV channel Times Now, and cameraman Jayaprakash; Daniel, cameraman for TV channel Headlines Today; and Karthikeyan, reporter for newsmagazine Puthiya Thalaimurai, The Hindu reported. One journalist sought treatment at a local hospital for rib injuries.
The journalists filed a complaint with police. Eleven party workers were arrested and placed in police custody for 14 days, according to reports.
The DMK condemned the attack, but denied that the assailants belonged to the party, reports said.