Thiruvananthapuram: Cutting across political affiliations, Kerala top leaders on Friday raised strong objections over the action taken by Mangalore police against several media personnel belonging to various Malayalam TV channels.
The media personnel were detained and released at the Kerala border following the state government's intervention.
According to reports, various media personnel who were reporting from a Mangalore hospital, where the autopsy of two people allegedly shot dead by the police, were asked by top police officials on Friday morning not to report from there and later taken into custody.
A media personnel who managed to evade detention told the media that they barely managed to flee the hospital compound and drove back to the Kerala border.
"We are now standing in Kerala, and the hospital where the autopsy is taking place is about eight km from our border. A good number of our media colleagues are in the custody of the Mangalore Police. They do not want the media to report," he said.
State industries minister EP Jayarajan raised strong objections on the reported statement of Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai who alleged that it was the people who came from Kerala who created ruckus in Mangalore.
"This was a highly irresponsible statement that has come. We strongly condemn the police action taken against our media personnel who were doing their job. All efforts are going on to see that they are released,” said Jayarajan.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala also condemned the police action.
"The media was doing its job. What the Mangalore police did is to gag the media and this is not acceptable in a democracy," said Chennithala.
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