Mumbai:
A day after a group of Shiv Sena activists vandalized the office of the IBN Lokmat in Pune and attacked the staff, the Shiv Sena is unrepentant.
In its mouthpiece
Saamna, the party says, "Nikhil Vaghle spoke against Bal Thackeray in his programme for a letter which the Shiv Sena chief had written to Sachin as a father. We assaulted those who spoke against the Shiv Sena supreme."
Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has slammed the attack in Pune, but has a stern word of advice for the media.
"Any kind of unwanted, untoward or unwarranted violence should be condemned. Violence is not the solution for anything and doesn't justify any claim. But I also think that as media professionals or actor or business people, we have become very impatient and fierce towards our society. If there is news that has to be put out, we have to make sure it is put out correctly, without hyping it up," said the actor.
Shiv Sena has claimed responsibility for the attacks on IBN's offices in Mumbai and Pune on Friday evening. Party spokesman Sanjay Raut said that "criticism of Bal Thackeray would not be tolerated."
A group of 15 sainiks barged into the news channel's Mumbai office at Vikhroli, smashing windows and destroying furniture. IBN staffers managed to catch five of the attackers, but not before they had done a lot of damage.
In the second attack, the sainiks pelted stones at IBN's Pune office. In yet another incident, an IBN outdoor broadcast van was also attacked.
"It is shocking and outrageous," said Loksatta Editor Kumar Ketkar, adding that "it is an attack on the entire media."
Maharashtra Chief Minister has also condemned the attacks.