Journalists covering cylinder blast attacked

Mumbai, July 16: A woman TV journalist and three of her colleagues were manhandled and abused by some miscreants while covering an incident of cylinder blast in suburban Santacruz today.

Police said this evening that they had arrested one of the culprits. "A person named Salman Sheikh was arrested on the charges of assault and molestation," said DCP (detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni.

The case was handed over to Nirmal Nagar police station. Police were hunting for other culprits who were with Sheikh.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Press Club, in a release, condemned the incident. "This incident should not be seen as a standalone event and it is yet another incident of attack on journalist community in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra when they are in the line of duty," said the release issued by Rajesh Mascarenhas, secretary, Press Club.

"We request the law-makers to discuss the attack on journalists and as promised and assured earlier (they) must come out with a law making attack on journalists a cognisable and non-bailable incident," it said.

Four persons from a family were killed in the LPG cylinder blast in Golibar area of Santacruz this morning.

PTI