Mangalore: Scribe, Police Face-off – CM Apologizes as Journos Boycott Programmes
Pics by Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SB)
Mangalore, Aug 23: It is yet to be known whether Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s visit to the district on Monday August 23 will be eventful or not. But one thing certain is that drama unfolds wherever the CM steps.
In a dramatic series of events that unfolded on Monday, it was CM who had to apologize at the end for the face-off between the police and the scribes.
CM who reached the Bajpe airport at about 9 am began his scheduled engagements in the district by traveling to Bondel in a Volvo bus for laying foundation stone for Rangamandir that is to be built in the area. However, he was oblivious to the face-off that ensued between two police constables and a reporter of a Kannada news channel soon after he left the airport. The war of words began between the parties as the constables refused to let the information department vehicle ferrying reporters to follow the CM’s convoy.
As the other members of the media fraternity rallied behind this reporter, the constables informed that they refused permission under instructions from Bajpe police station sub-inspector Shyamsunder not to let the press follow the CM. The angered media members staged a protest at the airport and decided not to attend CM’s scheduled programmes.
Meanwhile, CM during the inauguration function of new Mescom office at Mallikatte was informed of the incident. Soon the CM suspended his scheduled programmes and returned to the circuit house. He instructed the concerned that he would attend programmes only if presspersons joined him.
Soon, deputy commissioner V Ponnuraj, police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh and MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik among others reached the spot where the journalists were staging a protest and convinced them to withdraw the protest and visit the circuit house. CM soon apologized for the confusion and also ordered the SI to be relieved from duties.
As the saying goes, all’s well that ends well; CM asked the scribes to accompany him in the Volvos for the programmes scheduled thereafter.