Goons throw acid at scribe, family

Four people reportedly having links with a political party stormed into a journalist’s house in Parbhani district and splashed acid at the scribe, his wife and daughter, late Tuesday midnight.

Delayed reports from Purna in Marathwada’s Parbhani district over 400 km from Mumbai stated that around midnight four goons stormed into the house of Dinesh Choudhary, the Purna correspondent of “Tarun Bharat”, spraying acid on the stunned reporter, Asrana (wife) and Reshma (daughter). The attackers thereafter smashed furniture in the house before fleeing from the scene.
Talking to Deccan Herald from Solapur, “Tarun Bharat” editor Narayan Karanjkar said that Choudhary had been writing against the “gutkha mafia” operating in Purna town and the recent attack was an attempt to scare the reporter.

“All the three victims are stable and have been kept under observation in Yashoda Hospital in Nanded. Three of the attackers have been taken into custody while a manhunt has been launched to nab the fourth accused,” he said.

Repeated attempts to contact police officers in Parbhani and Purna failed to elicit any response; local media, however, stated that all the four accused are supporters of the Congress party and one of the accused is the Purna tehsil party president.

Choudhary, while talking to local media in Nanded on Wednesday afternoon, named one of the accused as Sayed Ali “Don” who had earlier threatened him with dire consequences for writing articles against the “gutkha mafia”.

Karanjkar said that on Saturday, media persons from entire Marathwada region have decided to take out a rally in Purna and thereafter in Parbhani to press for the arrest of Sayed Ali who is reportedly still at large and also to condemn the increasing attacks on media persons.  Meanwhile in Mumbai, Home Minister R R Patil has instructed Parbhani Police to nab Sayed Ali and provide security to Choudhary and his family members.