A section of lawyers today went on the rampage at the district court complex here pelting stones and empty beer bottles at mediapersons, injuring at least five of them, a day after unruly scenes were witnessed outside the Kerala High Court in Kochi.
Five mediapersons were injured and two cameras of TV journalists were destroyed in the melee which occurred in front of the district court complex at Vanchiyoor here.
A section of lawyers across the state had boycotted courts today protesting against the violence in the High Court complex.
A group of advocates had yesterday allegedly attacked mediapersons outside the High Court complex leaving five persons injured during their protests against the media coverage of the case of an alleged bid by a government pleader to molest a woman in the city last week.
Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said strict action will be taken against those responsible for the violence and government will not tolerate such incidents. He also said there should not be enmity between advocates and mediapersons.
The trouble started today as some lawyers chased away mediapersons, who had come to report the 'Kadakampally land grab case', and closed the gates of the court complex.
They also closed the media room and allegedly pasted posters stating 'no admission to members of the fourth gender' in various places of the complex, the media room and vehicles of TV news channels.
When the mediapersons tried to take visuals of the posters, it was objected to by the advocates saying videography was prohibited in the complex.
Advocates then chased away mediapersons and pelted stones and empty beer bottles, besides verbally abusing them. The car of a television channel vehicle was also damaged.
Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) district
President C Rahim said the reporters, despite the provocation, did not react even as they were chased away by the lawyers.
He wanted a probe into the incident by an Assembly committee and strict action against those responsible for the attack.
The advocates also raised slogans against the media.
Some locals, allegedly in an inebriated condition, also chased away the mediapersons and during the scuffle two television cameras got damaged.
The situation was brought under control after the intervention of former CPI(M) MLA V Sivankutty.
After getting an assurance from IG Manoj Abraham that attackers would be booked, the mediapersons left the court premises. Police also intervened to restore calm.
Meanwhile, after holding a meeting of representatives of media and High Court Advocates Association at Kochi, Advocate General C P Sudhakara Prasad said, "A judicial commission will probe the untoward incidents and the situation that led to such incidents occurring (outside the High Court) on July 20."
He also said the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ernakulam, will probe the criminal cases that occurred in connection with the incidents.
