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| MP's band of 65 | | AUTO-DRIVERS LEAD BY DOCTOR ATTACK THREE NEWSPAPER OFFICES, BURN COPES | | EARLY TIMES REPORTER
Jammu, Aug 7: In yet another attempt to silence and suppress the media, a band of some 65 known faces including some auto-drivers lead by a doctor today launched an attack on three prominent newspapers published from Jammu including this newspaper.
The protestors working on behalf of Congress leader and Member Parliament Chowdhary Lal Singh set on fire the copies of EARLY TIMES and two Hindi newspapers in front of their offices in Gandhi Nagar and Bikram Chowk area. The Police have been informed about the incident.
The protestors who were lead by one Dr Sandeep Singh, an orthopaedic specialist raised slogans against the newspapers and warned them of serious consequences if they carried any more stories against the Member of Parliament Chowdhary Lal Singh. They described the newspapers as blackmailers and asked them to publish apologies to the MP for face serious actions.
Meanwhile, the EARLY TIMES' Managing Editor received a threatening call on his number in which the caller asked him to stop carrying any negative report against the Member Parliament or face drastic action. The caller who called from a local number recorded as 2450364 and 2:27 PM asked the Early Times Managing Editor that if he did not stop publishing stories against the Member Parliament his family may face consequences like the family of Cement king Rajinder Bhushan Chopra was wiped out last year. The matter has been brought to the notice of the Police.
Hour long protests were held in front of the offices of Early Times, Amar Ujala and Dainik Jagran. Our reporters and representatives present at the office at the time of protest were threatened of dire consequences by the protestors who said that today's protest was just and beginning and they vow to put the newspaper on fire if stories against the Member Parliament were not stopped and apologies for the earlier published stories were tendered to the MP.
The Member of Parliament Chowdhary Lal Singh had named three newspapers including EARLY Times during a press conference which he addressed here last week. Accusing these newspapers of bias against him had warned action against them if they did not stop reporting against him. However, one had expected the Member of Parliament to take a legal recourse against whatever complaints he had and it was least expected that a responsible person like him will manipulate a physical attack on the newspapers who had not published any wrong story against him.
What upset the MP was reportage of a protest in Billawar by his political opponent which was carried by many local newspapers and more prominently by three newspapers. At Billawar he had also snatched and broke down camera of a photojournalist representing a Jammu based Hindi newspaper in the area. His political opponent chased the Member Parliament and threw undesired things at him which was reported by the newspapers.
The Member Parliament reacting to the reporting of this incident convened a press conference in Jammu and warned the newspapers to stop carrying negative reports against him or face action. Though had warned of legal action but he took to the other forms and means to satisfy his ego.
Interestingly, a day after the warning of the MP, another protest took place in Billawar where his political opponent including Romi Khajuria of National Conference submitted a memorandum to the Sub District Magistrate which was later forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner Kathua as they demanded action against the MP.
This event again was published by many newspapers including this newspaper which annoyed the MP who had seriously warned the newspapers of action if they carried anything against him. He had said that the newspapers are carrying false stories against him showing his ignorance to the published photographs of the protests in Billawar and Kathua.
As the newspapers refused to bow before the dictates of the MP, today he hired some goons and a doctor was assigned the responsibility of launching attack on the newspapers. When the goons descended on the office of newspaper it was expected that on behest of Congress MP, who claims himself as senior and top leader, hundreds of people including his party supporters will come. However, as the event turned out only 65 known faces including 23 auto-drivers who were identified by our hawkers and other staff staged the protest.
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