Tamil news channel reporter, cameraman attacked for enquiring into alleged illegal mining

The Tiruchirappalli based reporter Kathiravan and cameraman Sabastian were injured in the attack by a group of men said to be supporters of a local politician when they went to Krishnarayapuram to inquire into the alleged illegal mining activity, a police official said.

A reporter and a cameraman of a Tamil TV news channel were brutally attacked by a group of men for attempting to probe an alleged illegal mining activity in the district on Friday, police said. The Tiruchirappalli based reporter Kathiravan and cameraman Sabastian were injured in the attack by a group of men said to be supporters of a local politician when they went to Krishnarayapuram to inquire into the alleged illegal mining activity, a police official said. Police rescued the injured and admitted them to a hospital. No arrest has been made. Condemning the ''murderous'' attack, the Tamil Nadu Journalists' Welfare Union alleged that the quarry was owned by a DMK legislator. ''It seems the minerals were being mined illegally in this quarry in violation of rules. A Tamil TV journalist Kathiravan, and a cameraman Sabastian, who had gone to cover the news, were severely attacked by a gang of about 50 people,'' the union said in a statement. It urged the state government to take immediate action against the persons responsible for the attack. Expressing shock over the incident, former state president of the Tamil Nadu BJP K Annamalai said the journalists were attacked with the intention of killing them for questioning the illegal mineral exploitation. ''The people of Tamil Nadu know very well that these rowdies are working entirely under the protection of the DMK. For whom is the DMK government ruling? For the smugglers and the rowdies?'' Annamalai asked in a post on the social media platform 'X.' He demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for the attack and said action should be taken against all those behind the illegal quarry robbery. AIADMK leader and former state minister M R Vijayabhaskar, too, condemned the incident and sought appropriate action on the culprits.

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