Assault on Media in Delhi Court Sends Twiteratti into Frenzy

New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) The twiteratti was abuzz on Monday after certain lawyers and BJP leaders assaulted journalists and JNU students in the Patiala House court complex here.

Some women journalists were also molested and roughed up in a big scuffle in the court complex, reports said.

"India Today's Anusha Soni, Poonam Sharma, Sneha Agarwal (Mail Today) molested in Patiala House," human right activist Samar Anarya tweeted from his verified account @Samar_Anarya.

"Two of our reporters Alok Singh and Kaunain Sheriff beaten up by lawyers inside Patiala House court," Indian Express senior journalist Muzamil Jaleel said in a tweet.

Criticising the BJP for using violence as a "diversionary tactic" to take attention off the central government's alleged failures, the Aam Aadmi Party condemned the attack on students and journalists.

"The BJP attacked students and journalists to divert attn from the land scam in Gujarat, the falling SENSEX and the INR," Delhi Water Minister Kapil Sharma tweeted.

"I condemn the attack on TV reporters/JNU faculty by few lawyers in Patiala house court. They sud be identified/their license sud be seized," journalist-turned-AAP spokesperson Ashutosh said on the microblogging site.

However, there was no dearth of people who took to social media expressing anguish at the JNU fraternity over the recent incidents.

"Dear JNU Students, We Fund Your Studies, Not Your Politics Folks pl read, pl RT," Infosys founder-turned-philanthropist Mohandas Pai said on Twitter.

"JNU is an eminent institution & time to #CleanUpJNU & also Crush the Naxals & terrorists," Malayalam anchor Rahul Easwar wrote on twitter.

Some entrepreneurs also asserted to leave it up to the university to find and punish the guilty in the February 9 event.

"JNU issue has trapped Govt into taking extreme measures. This shd be left to JNU to find n punish the guilty," Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said.

People from the media also took to the microblogging site to express solidarity with their colleagues who were assaulted.

"The Editors' Guild of India, Press Club & News Broadcasters' Association should condemn the attack on journalists at Patiala House. Now!," Pankaj Pachauri, media advisor to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, said.

"The Delhi Union of Journalists condemns attack on journalists at Patiala House. The Delhi police have remained silent spectators," journalist Manisha Pandey said.

By 7 p.m., #SaffronEmergency and Patiala House were among the top 10 national trends on Twitter.