Shiv Sena vandalises Outlook office in Mumbai

MUMBAI, Aug 15 (Agencies): A group of Shiv Sena members today ransacked the Mumbai office of Outlook ostensibly in objection to the current issue of the magazine that featured party chief Bal Thackeray in a list of "villains".

Shiv Sainiks forcibly entered the Outlook office on the sixth floor of Raheja Chambers in Nariman Point at around 3 PM and asked for the editor and proceeded to ransack the office and threaten the staff members on being told that there was no senior person around.

Thackeray was included in the list of "villains" along with Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin in a recent issue of the magazine, which also featured a caricature of the Sena chief with a toothbrush moustache and Hitler-like uniform.

Office furniture, windows and computers were left smashed in the incident.

While the Editor's Guild has called it a direct attack on the freedom of the press "especially in a democratic set-up where political parties are dutybound to eschew violence," Outlook editor-in-chief Vinod Mehta has called it a crude attempt to muzzle journalists "This is a blatant attack on the freedom of the press.

The Shiv Sena activists attacked our editorial office in Mumbai and made no attempt to disguise their identity," Mehta said.

He added that he spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh immediately after the attack.

"He was quite disturbed after hearing of this attack.

We have to consider and introspect that this kind of attack on the press is happening when India is celebrating its 60 years of independence.

It is a crude attack on the freedom of the press," He hoped the Srikrishna report would not be used by the Shiv Sena as an excuse for protests.

"It is an alarmist view but I fear that they might come out on the streets to agitate," he said.

Meanwhile, the Editor's Guild has asked Maharashtra government to "provide protection for the magazine" and demanded legal action against those who perpetrated the attack and demanded that the "Shiv Sena too should take action against such of its members who have indulged in the attack."