Journalists chased, beaten up & confined

TT, Calcutta: Several journalists were assaulted or confined during Monday's poll-related violence. Seven Anandabazar Patrika reporters and photojournalists were among those attacked.

Although complaints were lodged in all cases, no arrests had been made till late on Monday night.

Sebabrata Mukherjee of Anandabazar was attacked by suspected Trinamul supporters at Beldanga in Murshidabad with sticks, leaving him with a rupture behind his left ear. "One of the residents gave me shelter and I fell unconscious," he said in his complaint.

Photographers Gautam Pramanik, Safiullah Islam and Kaushik Saha were beaten up in Murshidabad, and Sabyasachi Islam in Rampurhat. Suchandra Dey, the daily's correspondent in Katwa, was chased and attacked by alleged BJP supporters before policemen. Suchandra was covering a clash between two parties.

In Calcutta's Alipore, some youths dragged away Aryabhatta Khan in front of "hundreds of policemen" - deployed outside the treasury building to ensure peaceful filing of nominations - to a slum and beat him. "The youths rained blows on me and snatched my cellphone and fitness-band," Khan said.

A woman TV journalist was allegedly confined in a slum for over an hour.

Calcutta police said they would probe Khan's complaint. "I condemn these incidents. If anybody from Trinamul is involved, we'll take stern action," Trinamul secretary-general and minister Partha Chatterjee said.