The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the attack by political activists on the home of Kumar Ketkar, editor of the Marathi language daily Loksatta, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra on June 5.
The All-India Newspaper Employees’ Federation (AINEF), an affiliate of the IFJ, joined this call for action.
The attack in Thane, a city adjoining the greater Mumbai region, was carried out by activists of a political group known as Shiv Sangram. Police have detained seven people.
The attackers were reportedly responding to an article in Loksatta that criticised a decision by the Maharashtra state government to install a 94-metre-high statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, ruler of a medieval kingdom based in the Marathi cultural region, off the coast from Mumbai. The editorial, it is understood, described the government’s decision as a cheap way of gaining political mileage.
Ketkar and his wife, who were at home during the attack, were unharmed. However, extensive damage was caused to property.
