Pune: In a shocking incident, members of Dhol Tasha Pathak molested a female news reporter in Pune's Ganesh Visarjan Procession. Meanwhile, her colleague was manhandled by members of the same Pathak.
The incident happened during Saturday's Anant Chaturdashi procession at around 8 p.m. in Pune City's heart, the Budhwar Chowk area. According to available reports, the reporters work as interns in Pune's local digital media firm, Punekar News.
As they were working and covering the procession of Shrimant Dagdushet Halwai Ganesh Mandal, members of Trital Dhol Tasha Pathak came forward and started misbehaving with the duo. They allegedly molested the female reporter by being inappropriate.
When questioned, they manhandled her male colleague, pushing him to the ground and breaking his glasses. They also reportedly inflicted verbal abuse and threatened the reporters covering such an auspicious occasion.
Police Negligence Alleged
The duo promptly reported the matter to the police who were handling the crowd, part of the heavy bandobast deployed by the Pune Police Commissioner. However, their complaints were ignored. They called emergency number 112 and were told to file a complaint. The reporters have complained to the police.
Journalists in Pune have taken note of this incident and have demanded stricter action by the police. They are also going to meet Pune City Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar and present their demands to him. Citizens of Pune have condemned this incident, saying the safety of reporters is necessary, and it is ironic that such a disgraceful incident happened on such an auspicious day.
Photojournalists & Dhol Tasha Pathak Scuffle
Some senior photojournalists working for prominent news organizations were also manhandled and pushed by members of the Dhol Tasha Pathak. The scuffle broke out when photographers tried to capture images of the ongoing procession. Residents have also reported that some members of the Dhol Tasha Pathak behaved arrogantly while managing the crowd.
