CCTV security camera footage showing the attackers hurling the crude bomb at a new channel office in Chennai.
Two country bombs packed in tiffin boxes were hurled at the office of the Tamil television news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai in Chennai at about 3 am this morning. No damage has been reported. CCTV footage shows four men on two motorcycles throwing the crude bombs at the entrance to the office. Police are investigating the attack.
The attack on the new channel's office comes at a time when it has been under attack from some pro-Hindu outfits for its proposal to telecast a debate on the relevance of the 'thali' (mangal sutra). The protests had begun after the channel showed clips of the debate to promote the show. Puthiya Thalaimurai had put the broadcast of the show on hold.
Earlier, one of its camerapersons had been roughed up members of a Hindu fringe group.
The channel is promoted by the same group that owns SRM University. SRM Group founder TR Parivendar Pachamuthu had launched a party, the Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK, or Indian Democratic Party), which had been part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
However, New Generation Media Corporation, which runs the channel says it is an apolitical, professional media house, headed by P Sathyanarayanan, the younger son of Mr Parivendar.
The CEO RBU Shyam Kumar said, "This is disturbing. This could also disturb communal harmony. We condemn this."