Yet another ugly form of right to protest by Shiv Sena

NI Wire

New Delhi

Wed, 15 Aug 2007: 

Aug 15: On the eve of 61 st Independence Day of India activists of the right wing Hindu party Shiv Sena ransacked one of the offices of weekly magazine Olook to protest one article featuring party leader Bal Thackeray as a villain.

As per the reports, on Tuesday around 10 people entered the office of the magazine located in Nariman Point and damaged glass windows, computers, fax machines and also threaten to come back if the magazine continue publish such things against their party leader. They were shouting Shiv Sena Jindabad that identifies them as Shiv Sena workers.

The magazine in its special Independence Day edition has included Thackeray as a villain along with the killer of Mahatma Gandhi - Nathuram Godse, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Sanjay Gandhi and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. A caricature has also shown Thackeray dressed as Adolf Hitler.

Till now the police have not arrested a single person involved in this incident though the magazine has demanded police action against those persons. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena has refused to identify them as Sainik’s workers.

It is really makes a mockery of our constitution that guarantee us freedom of speech and expression, at least freedom of press. Obviously if one doesn’t like something then he has every right to protest but in a civilized manner.

It’s not for the first time that Shiv Sena workers or any other radicals protested in their usual fashion by vandalizing without any fear of law and order. Few months back a private TV channel office has also attacked by members of an organisation named Hindu Rashtra Sena as the channel offered a platform to a couple who ran off from Surat. Those people had blamed that the girl was a minor and was also kidnapped by the boy. But the couple had requested the news channel to present their point as they have received threat to their life.

Well what ever the incident, the manner they protest especially the attack of freedom of press is certainly alarming at this point of time when India as a secular, democratic nation celebrating its 60 th anniversary of Independence Day.

Since a free press is considered as the fourth pillar of our democracy the government should come with stringent action against the culprits. It’s disappointing that state has so far failed to protect the right of citizen and the freedom of press as one of our constitutional fundamental rights.