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Kerala High Court has directed the State police chief to provide adequate police protection to the offices of Asianet News if they make a complaint seeking police protection from the violent protests.
The court issued the directive after the channel submitted that they were facing threats from SFI and DYFI workers, the student's wing and the youth wing of the CPI(M). Single Bench of Justice N Nagaresgh directed this while hearing the plea of Asianet News seeking police protection. They also submitted a group of around 30 SFI workers violently and forcibly trespassed on the Kochi unit of the office and studio floor of the channel and shouted slogans. The Court also observed that "The incident has attained political colours and there are protests against the petitioner's unit and it is likely that there will be further protests against the petitioner which may turn violent. If that be the case, the respondents are bound to give effective protection to the units of the petitioner at Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram". After this, the Court ordered that, "If the petitioner informs apprehension of any violence from the protestors and seeks police assistance, the police shall deploy sufficient number of officers to maintain law and order and keep off violence". On March 3, SFI workers protested and barged into the Asianet News office in Kochi. They organised this protest following a statement by the Kerala Chief Minister at the Assembly yesterday regarding news published by Asianet News in connection with an interview of a POCSO case victim. The protestors alleged that the interview was a fake one. After barging into the office, protestors placed banners inside and outside of the office, saying that "this organisation is an insult to cultured Kerala". The case was registered on the complaint of Abhilash G Nair, the Regional bureau chief of Asianet News. (ANI)
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