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Mobs attack 4 Tamil dailies' offices in Bangalore

Four Tamil dailies' offices were attacked by irate crowds in Bangalore today while a 10,000 strong police force began patrolling the streets of the city which was gripped by tension following the kidnapping of Kannada mega-star Rajakumar by the Veerappan gang.

The police said the offices of Dinamani, Dinathanti, Kalaikadir and Dinasudar were attacked by mobs.

Police Commissioner T Madiyal confirmed that the office of Dinathanti on Rajkumar Road in Rajajinagar was damaged in the attack, while police sources said Kalaikadir and Dinasudar offices also became the target of the mobs.

A PTI Correspondent saw a crowd forcefully entering the Indian Express building, also housing the Dinamani office.

The crowd tore off the daily's supplements ready for despatch, New Indian Express's Chief of News Bureau R K Mattoo said. Securitymen at the premises were assaulted by the mob.

Madiyal said four vehicles were damaged by miscreants with Vijayanagar, Kamakshipalya and Magadi road bearing the brunt of the fury of the mob, which was protesting the abduction of Rajakumar, a household name in Karnataka.

There were several instances of people taking out processions, blocking roads and forcing the shop-owners to down shutters, Madiyal said, adding that if necessary, selected areas would be brought under curfew.

Twenty-eight platoons of State Reserve Police and 30 platoons of the City Reserve Police, in addition to the city police, have already been deployed in the city, he said adding the total police force deployed was 10,000.

Sources in Dinathanti said two scooters and ten bicycles in the compound of the daily were damaged by miscreants and 175 paper-reels set on fire.

No one was injured in the attack, they said. Two auto-rickshaws were torched near the newspaper office, the sources said.

The police said there were sporadic incidents of stone-throwing in several parts of the city.

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