Daijiworld special correspondent in Udupi (GA)

Udupi, Jun 29: Dr Kiran, son of district in-charge minister Dr V S Acharya has hit the headlines for an unusual incident.  The minister's son has been accused of assaulting two journalists on Thursday June 29 afternoon.

Dr Kiran is said to have assaulted two journalists, Sujit and Umesh Marpally who had gone to gather information about two persons injured in a tragedy.  While Sujit is the reporter of Udupi Channel, Umesh Marpally, is a cameraman of a newspaper. Dr Kiran is said to have assaulted them and damaged the camera and destroyed the film roll.

Two construction workers had sustained serious injuries when an under-construction house collapsed at Eshwarnagar near Manipal on Thursday morning.  Both the workers were immediately shifted to KMC Hospital at Manipal.

Having come to know about the incident, the journalists had gone to KMC Hospital to gather more information.  But Dr Kiran who was present there, stopped them, snatched their camera and damaged the film roll.  He also used abusive words while scolding the journalists.

But when the journalists went to the police station to lodge a complaint in this regard, the police said to have hesitated to book the case saying that they could not take action against minister's son.  Angered by this, the journalists passed the news to taluk journalists' association.  It was only after the entire community of journalists threatened to launch a strong protest in the town that the police are understood to have booked the case.