High Court stays proceedings against journalist Naveen Surinje

High Court stays proceedings against journalist Naveen Surinje

Mangalore Today / Ramesh Perla

Mangalore, Nov 19, 2012 : In major relief to journalist Naveen Surinje, Karnataka High Court today stayed proceedings against him in the infamous Mangalore home stay attack case.

Naveen, Mangalore based correspondent of Kasturi TV channel, was arrested for his alleged role in the July 28 attack on men and women attending a birthday party in the outskirt of Mangalore city.

TOn Saturday,third Judicial Magistrate First Class Renuka Devidas Raikar rejected the bail application of Naveen Soorinje. The various courts also rejected bail applications of other accused, those who filed bail application.

The Mangalore Rural police arrested Mr. Soorinje on November 7 nights while he was returning
after covering an event of the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Mr. Soorinje is among the 29 persons arrested so far. Naveen was arrested by the police following issuance of a non-bailable warrant.

Naveen was named in the chargesheet that identified 43 others from the right-wing Hindutva group Hindu Jagarana Vedike who attacked a birthday party. The attackers, just like the Shri Rama Sene’s pub attack in Mangalore in 2008, beat up and molested young girls stating that they were indulging in a rave party and that it was against Indian culture.

The chargesheet of the case names Naveen , amongst the first reporters to have reached the spot of the attack and covered it, with the same charges as those who beat up and molested the girls present there.

Naveen is the 44th accused and has been booked under 120 (b); conspiracy, 143; unlawful assembly, 147; rioting, 148; rioting with deadly weapons, 447; criminal trespassing, 325; causing grievous hurt, 354; assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 504, 506, 509, 358 to be read with IPC 149, 448, 114, 341, 323, 324.

Ironically, the 43 other accused were identified with the help of the footage shot by Naveen’s cameraman.

The police had initially charged that Naveen did not inform the police about the attack while he covered. But, in the charge sheet these allegations are missing and booked for dacoity, rioting, outrage her modesty etc.