Patna: It was an unpleasant sort of Vishwakarma gift for the mediapersons of Bihar on Monday. They were caught on the wrong side of the stick of the employees of the Vishal Mega Mart as well as the police.
It all started this afternoon when the news spread that a fire had broken out due to short circuit in the double-storied Vishal Mega Mart, a cynosure for many in the state capital. When some newsmen and camerapersons reached the spot to inquire about the incident they were taken by a complete surprise.
The manager of the Mart, Manish Kumar, according to the mediapersons, ordered his employees to push them out of the commercial complex. After a brief melee, some of the employees came out, armed with hockey sticks and canes, and started assaulting the mediapersons, who were initially few in number.
The mediapersons were chased till the S P Verma road roundabout. However, an ETV reporter, Neel Kamal, who in fact was not among those who went to Mega Mart to cover the story, but was witnessing the incident from about 100 metres away, was caught by the employees-turn-hooligans of the Mart. He was dragged all the way and brought before the Mega Mart building and subsequently thrashed.
It remains a mystery as to how there were so many hockey sticks and lathis inside the Mega Mart. What is strange is that some employees were seen throwing stones from the roof of the Mega Mart. The police party which arrived at the spot after a few minutes initially remained mute spectators. The news of the attack on the journalists spread like a wild fire and some more mediapersons reached the spot. Along with some sympathizsers they sat on a dharna in front of the Mart, which was closed after the incident. The situation once again turned ugly when the agitating people started raising slogans against the chief minister, Nitish Kumar, and the police administration.
This time it was the police’s turn to swing into action. There was a stampede like scene all around the heart of the state capital. Many people got hurt in the police lathicharge.
This correspondent, who witnessed this incident, was surprised by the ferocity of anger against the mediapersons, both by the employees of the Mega Mart and the police. About half a dozen journalists were rushed to the Patna Medical College Hospital for treatment. One of them, Niranjan of Hindi daily Aaj, had his gold chain snatched by the employees of the Mega Mart.
Though nobody was prepared to defend the action of police and Mega Mart employees some independent observers felt that the over-enthusiasm shown by the mediapeople to cover the incident of fire was also responsible for this barbaric act. Incidentally local editions of some premier newspapers had their offices closed due to Vishwakarma Puja today.
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