Newspaper lensman assaulted at Navratri pandal in Borivli

The Borivli police, on Thursday, registered a case against four unidentified persons for allegedly assaulting a photographer of an English daily at a pandal put up for Navratri celebrations at Borivli (West).

The Borivli police, on Thursday, registered a case against four unidentified persons for allegedly assaulting a photographer of an English daily at a pandal put up for Navratri celebrations at Borivli (West).

HT Image

The Borivli police said BL Soni, who had arrived at Kora Kendra in Borivli (West) for an assignment, was entering the pandal when four men at the gate stopped him. Soni told them he was a photographer and was there to click pictures of the celebrations. He even displayed his identity card, but the men at the gate did not let him enter and told him to leave. When Soni protested, they dragged him to the ticket counter and assaulted him.

Soni said, “I asked them to let me stand near the gate but they did not agree and dragged me to the ticket counter and began to hit me. They slapped and punched me.”

He said when the organiser of the event arrived, the accused told him that Soni was from the media and assaulted him again. “Because of the overwhelming crowd outside the pandal, I could not even call the police,” Soni said.

The police have registered a case under sections 323 (punishment for causing hurt), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) against the accused.