Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (UM/HB)
Udupi, May 1: A verbal clash erupted between members of the media and the police at Sai Radha Heritage resort in Muloor here, where chief minister H D Kumaraswamy is currently staying.
Kumaraswamy along with his father and JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda arrived in Udupi on the night of Sunday April 28 for Panchakarma treatment at the resort. The visit was strictly a personal one, and the CM had giving instructions to the police to not allow media persons inside. The information department too had sent instructions to the media stating that the CM was on a personal visit only.
Nevertheless, mediapersons have camped in front of the resort since Sunday night hoping to catch a glimpse of the CM or Deve Gowda, or get information about their treatment.
On Wednesday, matters came to a head when a journalist and a videographer tried shooting a video near the resort. The cops stationed outside the resort objected and one of them pushed the videographer, which sparked a a war of words.
In a video of the incident, the journalist is heard questioning the cops for manhandling him, demanding to know who gave them the right to do so. The cops are seen replying in equal measure for not respecting the CM's privacy.
It is learnt that the mediapersons had been taking the help of the occupants of a nearby house for amenities like electricity to charge their phones and cameras. The owner of the house is reportedly away, and only his wife and daughter were in the house. It is alleged that the police visited the mother and daughter and 'harassed' them for allowing the media persons into their house. The cops allegedly asked them to show documents of the house too.
In the video, the mediapersons are also heard questioning the cops for harassing the women in the house.
Sub-inspectors of Kaup police station Abdul Khadar and Naveen Naik allegedly the ones who pushed the videographer.
Later in the evening, DySP Jayashanker visited the spot and took stock of the situation. He said that the mediapersons had been standing about 200 metres from the resort and hence had not violated any official instruction. The mediapersons are covering the CM's stay from outside the perimeter of the resort, but the police are imposing restriction on that too, it is claimed.
Speaking to a TV channel, the DySp said that if anyone from the media lodges a complaint against the cops, the matter would be investigated.
The chief minister had come to the resort a few days ago, but had to cut short his stay after the bomb blasts in Sri Lanka. He and Deve Gowda are now on a five-day visit, starting April 28. It may be mentioned here that Kumaraswamy has recently been upset with the media over the coverage on the Lok Sabha elections in Mandya where his son Nikhil is contesting, and had announced a 'media boycott'.
MLC Boje Gowda and tourism minister Sa Ra Mahesh are also with the CM in the resort.