The Hindu : Front Page : Copies of The Hindu set ablaze

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 17, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Copies of The Hindu set ablaze

Staff Reporter

Protests in Erode: Copies of The Hindu and Business Line were set on fire at the Erode bus stand on Thursday morning. At right, a pro-LTTE handbill found at the site warned The Hindu against publishing ‘anti-Tamil’ reports and accused it of ‘betraying’ Tamils’ interests .— Photo: M. Govarthan

ERODE: A group of five persons led by the district organiser of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) set fire to 2,400 copies of The Hindu and 390 copies of the Business Line at the bus stand here on Thursday morning.

They were protesting against the paper’s criticism of the pro-LTTE campaign in the State. As a result, several parts of the town did not get their regular copies.

According to newspaper agents and hawkers, the group arrived at the paper-sorting point around 5 a.m., shouting pro-LTTE slogans.

It also distributed handbills in support of the banned organisation.

The group, led by Kumaragurubaran, district organiser of the PDK, and M. Jayakumar, of the Tamil Desiya Podhu Udaimai Katchi, attempted to snatch newspaper bundles from distributor V. Balasubramaniam. When he resisted this, he was overpowered.

He was also abused and threatened with dire consequences.

The group then set ablaze copies of the two dailies, said agent R. Mohan Kumar.

Another agent O. Sivanesan said the group had come ready with bottles of petrol. Then, it fled the scene.

The Erode Town Police visited the spot and registered a case against Kumaragurubaran, Jayakumar and a few others under sections 506 (i) (criminal intimidation), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (b) (destroying, damaging or defiling objects) and 427 (mischief, and thereby causing damage to property) of the IPC.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page