Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan has hit out at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after the crime branch police team raided the Asianet News office. The Congress leader said that the CM is proving that he is a "Modi in dhoti".
The raid at Asianet News' office in Kozhikode was conducted after a politician filed a complaint alleging that a news report telecast by the channel on a schoolgirl who was allegedly forced to work as a drug courier was fake news.
On March 3, Students' Federation of India (SFI) activists trespassed into the Kochi office of the news channel and intimidated the staff there. A case was later registered against 30 SFI activists, the students' wing of the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, on the basis of a complaint lodged by the channel.
Following the police action, Asianet News tweeted: "Days after SFI hooliganism, Kerala Police conducts 'search' at Asianet News Kozhikode office. Regardless, Asianet News continues to report, true to its motto: Straight. Bold. Relentless. #AttackOnMedia #PressFreedom #AsianetNewsAttacked." The search was condemned by the Congress and BJP in Kerala which termed it as "a sign of intolerance" and a "fascist approach", respectively.
(with PTI inputs)
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