Journalists in Pune protest against beating up of counterparts

Local Pune journalists today held a protest here today demanding arrest of a builder for allegedly beating up two reporters of a Marathi daily for raising questions over a construction project in a news item.

They held a a protest meeting and marched to the district collectorate.

According to a complaint lodged with police, the builder Anil Sewlekar and his accomplices yesterday beat up Yogesh Kute, who is also president of Pune Shramik Patrakar Sangh, and Sandip Jagdale of daily Sakal confining them in his residence following publication of a report alleging irregularities in a construction project.

The accused called the reporters at his residence on the pretext of giving a clarification and threatened to kill them if they did not tender written apology, the complaint said.

The collector Chandrakant Daliv assured a delegation of journalists to speed up process of nabbing the main accused who is still absconding.