I called up police, claims TV journo

Naveen Soorinje, a journalist with a private channel, told Deccan Herald that he had called Raveesh Naik, the inspector of the rural police station, but the officer did not respond.

Soorinje, booked by the police in connection with the incident, said he was recording the incident as part of 'evidence gathering' and that he had no intention of abetting the acts of the Vedike members.

He also claimed that he had informed a reporter from another TV news channel to call the police to avoid a repetition of the earlier pub attack incident in which the media was accused of not informing the police. Soorinje claimed he received a call from his source, a Muslim boy, informing him about a group of 30 men conversing in Tulu executing the attack, in Padil.

“I could not inform the police at that juncture since I had to still verify the information and hence I went to the spot,” he said.

On arriving at the spot, Soorinje said, he saw a girl sitting outside and reading a newspaper while two boys were by themselves in another corner.

“Then a mob of 50 men barged into the homestay attacking the girls. If one were to go through the footage of the recordings we have, you can hear myself and my camera person screaming, asking the attackers to stop. We were only two of us and they were about 50. There was nothing we could do,” he said. However, Mangalore Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh termed it an act of irresponsibility on the part of the media. He said two journalists had been booked under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Contrary to the claim of Soorinje that he was informed by a source, Singh said he had a statement of a ringleader of the HJV about informing the media of the attack.

“From my knowledge, the call to the police was made at 7.20 pm while the incident, which was shot live occurred at 6.20 pm,” Singh claimed, adding that an inquiry will also be initiated against the police personnel concerned.

Soorinje alleged that the commissioner called another channel reporter about 1 am telling him that he will be framed. Singh, who confirmed of calling the reporter, said he had called to obtain certain information and to tell the reporter that such things were not acceptable.

“At my position, there is no way that I will make loose statements like fixing them or framing. The call was made in connection with the investigation and it was made at such a time because of the nature of the incident,” Singh clarified.