Karavali Souharda Sangarsha Samithi condemns arrest of TV reporter Soorinje

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Nov 13, 2012: The Karavali Souharda Sangarsha Samithi staged a protest to condemn the arrest of Kasturi TV channel reporter Naveen Soorinje in connection with the home stay attack of July 28.

Addressing the protestors, B. Ramanath Rai, Congress leader and MLA, said that Naveen and the cameraman were arrested because they witnessed Hindu fundamentalist groups attacking girls and stripping them at the birthday party. The BJP is playing a new arrest game to suppress evidence, he alleged.

 

Speaking on the occasion, B. Madhava, district secretary of the CPI (M) and secretary of the Karavali Souharda Sangarsha Samithi, said that Naveen Soorinje had only done his duty as a reporter. His presence at the scene of crime led to the arrest of the wrongdoers, who might have otherwise vanished from the scene.

Further, he said that the police have booked him for dacoity, which carries a life sentence, and that the police have arrested Soorinje without any proof. Calling the arrest “assassination of the freedom of the press,” he urged the police to release Soorinje immediately and withdraw the cases against him.

Addressing the gathering, MLA U. T. Khader said that even CM Jagadish Shettar has termed that the arrest of Soorinje is disgraceful. Flaying the BJP, he said that under the BJP rule, victims are punished while criminals are set free.

Among those who protested were Mayor Gulzar Banu, Sushil Noronha, Sara Abubakker, Shashiraj Shetty, T. K. Sudhir, Muneer Katipalla, Sanjeeva, Ashraf, Appi, and others.