NDTV-Hindu and Jaya TV journalists have filed complaints with the police over the attacks at a function to unveil Ambedkar's statue within the High Court premises on Sunday.
The complaints were filed by Bertilla B., reporter and T. Devaraj, cameraman, of NDTV-Hindu, and O. Ravi, reporter, Jaya TV, who registered the complaint on behalf of camerapersons Ponniah Thevan and Ramesh.
The camera persons were attacked at the function in which Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was participating. They were verbally abused, assaulted, and their cameras seized and destroyed.
The attack was caught on camera, and the assailants were easily identifiable.
Mr. Devaraj, who is recuperating at home, said he and and Bertilla had been assigned to cover the meeting. “The moment the Chief Minister started speaking, a group of men dressed in white shirts and black trousers stood up in the last few rows and started shouting slogans,” he said.
“The cameramen immediately turned to film this. However, I was not happy with the angle I had, so I moved closer to the protesters,” he said.
A section of the audience retaliated by throwing chairs at the protestors, he said in his complaint to the police.
“A group of 10-15 men, dressed in black and white, surrounded me and edged me out. Then they grabbed my camera and started beating me up. They kicked me on my shoulders and neck and rained blows on me. I cannot remember anything that happened after that,” Mr. Devaraj said later.
Bertilla, in her statement to the police, said she came looking for him as she was unable to reach him over the phone. “This was at about 11 am. I saw the remnants of a camera lying on the ground. When I picked up a piece, a man in a white shirt and black pant came and wrenched it from me. He asked me to leave the place immediately,” she added.
She said Police Commissioner T Rajendran had alerted her about an injured cameraperson at the other end of the High Court premises. She found that it was her colleague, Devaraj.
At this point of time, she said, “Two men came and introduced themselves as advocates, and said rudely ‘leave this place immediately, we are saying this for your own safety. Take the cameraperson and leave right now.' The policemen standing right next to us said the same thing.”
She helped Devaraj out and he was later taken to the Government General Hospital for treatment.
He had scratches in the upper abdomen, a cut mark on the lips and was in pain. Even on Monday he complained of pain behind the neck and shoulder where he was kicked by protestors on Sunday.
O. Ravi, reporter of Jaya TV, also lodged a formal complaint with the High Court police on Monday on behalf of the channel's two cameramen. Ravi said Ponniah Thevan (26) and Ramesh (24) were attacked after they tried to film the clash.
Mr. Thevan was brutally assaulted in full view of the police and his video camera was smashed.
Both of them received injuries from the assault and were taken to a private hospital nearby by Mr. Ravi and other staff.
