Tension prevailed at the District Court Complex in Vanchiyoor after a photojournalist was allegedly roughed up by a group of lawyers on Monday. The incident took place shortly after the case pertaining to the controversial drunk driving accident that caused the death of journalist K.M. Basheer was taken up for hearing.
A sizeable media contingent was present at the court complex as the two accused, IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman, and Wafa, who was also in the car that was involved in the accident, appeared before the magistrate court.
T. Sivajikumar, photographer of Malayalam daily Siraj, came under attack after he clicked photos of the accused duo on his mobile phone as they were leaving the court. Mr. Sivajikumar, who was a colleague of the late K.M. Basheer, said a police officer questioned him for taking Ms. Wafa’s photo.
Soon, a group of lawyers surrounded him and demanded his identity card. While he showed his accreditation card, they snatched it away and then ordered him to delete the photos he had taken. Despite heeding to their request, the lawyers allegedly attempted to snatch his phone too. Mr. Sivajikumar handed it over to a Sub Inspector who was present nearby. Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) district secretary Suresh Vellimangalam, who soon reached the court, was also purportedly abused.
The confrontation did not end there. A group of journalists including Mr. Vellimangalam and Mr. Sivajikumar went to the Vanchiyoor police station next compound to lodge a complaint. While their demand to register a case was apparently stonewalled by police officials, the arrival of a group of advocates at the police station premises threatened to escalate into a clash. Calm was soon restored by senior officers who urged both groups to leave the station compounds.
The incident revived memories of the clash that had broken out between advocates and journalists at the court premises five years ago.
Vanchiyoor station house officer V.V. Dipin said they have received complaints from both the journalists and the advocates. While they were being examined, no case has been registered into the incident thus far.
