Mah BJP condemns attack on Loksatta editor's residence

Mumbai, Jun 5 (UNI) Condemning the attack on the residence of Loksatta editor Kumar Ketkar by activists of a political party, Maharashtra BJP unit today demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil over the incident.

Party general secretary Vinod Tawde, who visited the residence of Mr Ketkar, said the attack by the activists of Shiv Sangram, an outfit headed by NCP's Vinayak Mete, was pre-planned and the locals were aware of the attack.

''Both the attackers and the Home Minister belong to the same party, which shows that the attack was pre-planned,'' he said in a statement here.

''The political leaders could not bear the criticism made by the editor in his newspaper,'' he added.

Chhagan Bhujbal had resigned from the post of Home Minister, when his activists attacked the office of Zee News some years ago and the act need not be reminded to Mr Patil, the statement added.

Earlier in the day, Shiv Sangram activists attacked Mr Ketkar's residence in Thane this morning, for writing an editorial in his Marathi newspaper on the erection of a statue of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji, on the line of Statue of Liberty at New York in USA, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Girgaum Chowpatty.

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